The Girl Who Could Knock Out The Hulk
by Darthkvzn
Summary: She's lived among the humans for quite a while. She's stronger than all of them. It was only fair she stand up and protect her hosts when they couldn't do it by themselves. Part 1 of Darth's MCUniverse! (Multi-fandom crossover from chapter 26 onwards!)
1. Chapter 1

**Well, it's been quite a while since I wrote anything Marvel-related, so I thought I'd shake things up a little. We're starting the MCU fics over! First Contact and Beating the System will still be left up for anyone who might enjoy them, but consider this timeline the "definitive" one.**

 **While I don't hate those fics by any stretch of the imagination, it's easy to see that I was a little too early in my writing experience to attempt such a massive crossover. I think I've got it now - we're starting small, and building this universe up from the Battle of New York. Be advised: as before, this is a multi-crossover based on the MCU, even if we're just starting with Supergirl. Before the end of this fic, you can expect to see a lot more, which will be properly noted atop each chapter, should it happen.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

For the first time in her life, Kara felt exhausted.

"I still can't quite believe all of this, y'know?" -Winn said, his voice haunted. He held an oversized plasma rifle, ripped from the hands of one of the thousands of dead aliens that still littered the streets of New York. It was the third one, given neither of them knew how to reload the weapon. "Science fiction is _way_ scarier than _Halo_ makes it out to be."

Kara lifted a wrecked minivan, dragging it to the nearest sidewalk. "Yeah. Space can be kinda terrifying."

"I guess you'd know."

She shrugged. "Well, I never left my homeworld. Not before I came here, obviously. But, I _was_ old enough to catch the news. Earth is lucky; it's not important enough yet to catch much attention."

Winn raised an eyebrow, shooting an alien that was still twitching. A purple-black splatter joined the already massive stains on his clothing. "I don't think these guys agree."

"I guess. I really can't imagine why they'd try to invade. This planet is great at supporting life, but...not much else. I don't think there's anything here worth fighting a war over."

Winn laughed. "Geez, Kara. Way to kick us when we're down."

She blushed. "Sorry. Twelve years here and I still manage to put my alien foot in my alien mouth."

"That's ok." -he said, sitting on the dented hood of a bisected sports car. "So, could all of your people fly?"

Kara floated upwards, removing an alien corpse that was stuck atop a lamppost. "I'm honestly not sure. I remember a little bit of my biology lessons, and it _definitely_ wasn't covered there, but they did tell us we were 'built' to colonize other worlds. Genetic engineering, y'know? The younger the star we orbit, the stronger we get."

"Isn't the sun middle-aged?"

She winked. "Yup."

Winn mocked a shiver. "I don't know that I want to picture you more powerful than you already are. Kinda terrifying."

"Eh, it's kind of a moot point. I'm happy kicking it with you earthlings."

Winn set down his weapon. "Good to know." -he said, picking the cleanest bit of cloth from his shirt and rubbing his eyes with it. " _God_ , I'm tired. We should catch some sleep."

Kara tossed the alien corpse aside, adding to the mounting pile. "Go ahead, Winn. I've got this."

"Don't you need rest?"

"Not much. But, I'll admit, I'm running on fumes, here."

"So, let's leave all of this to the spooky S.H.I.E.L.D. people."

Kara frowned. "I didn't tell you everything I know about them so you could just talk about it so casually."

Winn raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, as a Quinjet soared overhead. "They're not exactly a secret anymore, Kara. Last time my phone had any charge, the Avengers were at the top of the trending topics. 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' was right behind 'Tony Stark' and 'BattleOfNY'." -he said, then shook his head. "You wouldn't _believe_ how many people can't spell 'shield', by the way."

She crossed her arms. "English can be hard. Don't judge."

He rolled his eyes. "Sure." -he said, then rose from his brief respite. "I guess the question is, then, what's our next move?"

"Well, since we _both_ refuse to take a break, we might think of checking out Midtown. That's where these guys hit hardest."

"It's also where you'll find the Avengers."

Kara pursed her lips. "That's ok. I mean, _S.H.I.E.L.D._ clearly didn't want my help, so the Avengers probably don't even know I exist, right?" -she asked, hopeful.

"Fat chance, Kara. We both saw a _lot_ of cellphones out. You're probably on camera, shooting _lasers_ out of your eyes. If they didn't know before, they definitely do, now."

She sighed. "It's not _technically_ a laser beam. It's more like...something between plasma and a photon stream."

" _So_ not the point."

"I _know_. I just...I made a choice, Winn. I could've stayed inside the _Bugle_. Kept my head down, pretended to be just another scared human. Maybe I should've. But I _didn't_. And I don't think the consequences are gonna be limited to unemployment."

Winn nodded. He'd seen her, alright - Kara had straight up _jumped_ out of the twentieth floor, straight into one of the alien sleds. Winn had thought her suicidal, but then he hadn't known that his best friend was the last daughter of Krypton, an alien who, as far as he knew, was pretty much invulnerable to _everything_.

Kara shrugged. "I guess I might as well start making peace with that choice. Even _if_ that means saying goodbye to life as Kara Danvers."

"Kara Zor-El _does_ have a nice ring to it."

She laughed. "Come on. Let's see if the Iron Man needs a hand."

* * *

 **So, why Supergirl?**

 **Well, for starters, the Avengers are missing a big gun, with Thor off on prisoner duty. A Kryptonian is about the biggest gun there is out there. There's also the cool factor. For the most part, though, I wanted the Avengers to have a closer (if rather ironic) link with the average person; for all of Kara's power, she grew up in a very normal household in this universe. None of the Avengers' founders can say that, and thus I think they're a little distanced from the people they save. I wanted them to be closer.** **I also wanted to explore the dynamic of them, experienced heroes already, dealing with a first-timer who could basically overpower any of them.**

 **I'll admit, I could've accomplished a similar result with Spider-Man, but the MCU has ruined me for Mr. Parker. I can no longer accept writing any version of him older or more experienced than the one in the MCU (part of why I stopped writing my other Spidey fics). He'll still appear, sooner or later, but remember, we're starting from the Battle of Manhattan. All in due time.**

 **I also wanted the aforementioned Battle to have a deeper impact - six people, no matter how powerful, could not have stopped that invasion. So I'm trying to reflect that; Marvel has always done a good job of making NY seem like a living, breathing city, and as such, it was going to defend itself. The MCU supports this idea, especially on the Netflix side of things; people with abilities have been around forever, and I can't imagine they didn't come out swinging when aliens invaded and lives were at stake. Needless to say, don't expect the Avengers to stay at six members for long.**

 **I hope this makes sense. If not, I strongly encourage you wait for the next chapter. Things should start becoming clearer.**

 **PD - Don't expect other DC characters to appear anytime soon. Sorry.**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here I thought no one would read this. I was sure this would be a long shot, y'know? I'm pretty overwhelmed by the response to this story. You guys are the best! I'm shooting for a weekly release, which I'll do my best to stick to. For now, enjoy!**

* * *

As it turned out, the Iron Man had been shelved for repairs - Kara wasn't very surprised, she'd seen a clip of the madman under the armor piloting it _into_ one of the big whale monsters - but Tony Stark was definitely present. Stark Industries personnel were _all_ over Midtown, intermingled with darkly armored S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, hard at work on clean-up duty. There were no alien survivors in that part of the city, which, again, was hardly a shock. The Avengers had been far more thorough than her.

No one stopped them when they approached the SI branded tents set up around Stark Tower, which should've been Kara's first clue that she was expected.

"I think I'll wait here." -Winn said, visibly nervous. "I _really_ don't want to faint in front of Tony Stark."

Kara nodded, walking through the entrance. The inside of the main tent was sparsely lit, filled with tech both alien and human. She recognized Stark sat at a futuristic workbench, fiddling with a disassembled plasma blaster while holograms danced around him. A pang of nostalgia hit her - this was the closest she'd come to human technology akin to Krypton's.

Stark looked up for a second, smirking. "Well, _shit_. It's the Supergirl." -he said, setting the part he was working on aside and grabbing a rag to clean his hands.

Kara raised an eyebrow. "'Supergirl'? Isn't that a little...I don't know, condescending?"

He tossed the rag aside. "It's what everyone's calling you. We don't exactly get to pick our names, kid. Blame the _Bugle_ for this one. JARVIS, if you'd please bring up Jameson's little hit piece?"

The holograms shifted to depict an online version of the _Daily Bugle_ , with a fairly iconic image of Kara, her chest snugly wrapped by the hastily bent hood of a bright red car she'd marked with the symbol of her House. She was lifting a car overhead, ready to throw at a bunch of enemies out of frame.

"' _Illegal alien!'_ " -she read, disappointed. She'd thought her tireless service as PA to J. Jonah Jameson might've spared her his anti-hero sentiments. Clearly, that was not the case.

"There's a bunch of frankly asinine assumptions about you in there, which I'll spare you. Ol' Triple J is _desperately_ trying to cash in on the current paranoia, newspapers being the dying medium that they are." -he said, rolling his eyes. "We're already firing back with some counter propaganda. Nothing to be done about your identity, though."

Kara nodded, crossing her arms. "That's ok. I didn't jump out of a skyscraper thinking I could just...go back to work on monday. Thank you for the help, though."

Stark hummed. He pointed at the chest 'armor' she'd worn in the picture. "Not the _fanciest_ way to grab their attention but...it works, right?"

It had. The aliens had mostly ignored her at first - her cardigan wasn't exactly intimidating. "Yeah...how'd you know?"

"I don't _just_ paint the armor red and gold for kicks, Ms. Danvers. Standing out in a crisis is a _good_ thing, if you're bulletproof."

"Oh. Got'cha."

He rose. "What's the 'S' stand for? Clearly, it's not 'Supergirl'."

Kara scoffed. "It's not an 'S'. It's the crest of the House of El. The symbol of my family."

"Which just so happens to look like a stylized 'S', huh? Crazy coincidences."

"I guess. So...you know what I am?" -she asked, hesitant.

The holograms shifted again to depict various blurry videos of her taking on the aliens, most likely sourced from the people she'd saved. She flew, she punched, and, like Winn said, she shot 'lasers' from her eyes.

He shook his head. "I don't have the full picture, no. I know S.H.I.E.L.D. found you about twelve years ago, placed you with the Danvers family. I know you work - or rather, _used_ to work - as a personal assistant for J. Jonah Jameson at the _Bugle_. I know your sister is one of Maria Hill's little drones. And I know you can fly, and bench a few tons without breaking a sweat."

She laughed. "I can see why Alex doesn't like you."

"I'm worse, when you get to know me."

"I'll judge for myself, Mr. Stark." -she said, breathing deeply. "I'm a Kryptonian. I was born in Argo City, the capital of the planet Krypton, into the noble House of El. My mother was Alura, my father, Zor. When I turned eight, my world exploded."

Stark stayed silent for some time. "How'd you get here?"

Kara grabbed a stray piece of alien metal. "An escape pod. Experimental, faster-than-light, y'know? My parents, they were...influential. Very smart. It was supposed to fit all of us, but...there just wasn't enough time. They only managed to build a couple of smaller ones. The plan ended up being for me and my cousin to survive here on Earth. The last of our kind..."

"So, what, there's a 'Superboy' out in Kansas, or something?"

She shook her head, closing her fingers around the silver metal. "Kal-El didn't make it. Or, at least, S.H.I.E.L.D. never found his pod."

Her host sighed. "I'm sorry."

Kara offered him a weak smile. "Like you said, I've had twelve years to come to terms with my situation. As far as I know...I'm the last daughter of Krypton."

"Right."

She set the bent metal down on the table. "You were expecting me, then? Or, at least, you didn't seem surprised to see me."

Stark seemed to regain his pep with the change of subject. "Maybe so. I wasn't really waiting on you, kid. Lots to do. _But_ , Cap _did_ think we might see some new faces around here, trying to help; you were one of them."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "'Cap', as in Captain America? I might've seen him running around."

He nodded. "We don't exactly see eye to eye on everything, but we both agree the Avengers weren't _nearly_ enough. Five colorful guys and _la femme Nikita_ aren't a match for a few thousand Chitauri. Whom, I'm assuming, you know nothing about."

She shook her head. "No, sorry. I know a few of the more important species out there - Tamaraneans, Thanagarians, y'know? Big names - but 'Chitauri' doesn't ring a bell." -she said, then blinked. " _Wait_. Are you...asking me to join the Avengers?"

The billionaire shrugged. "Nothing so formal, but...you're recently unemployed, and Thor's gone back to _norse heaven_ for a while, so we _might_ be on the market for a Supergirl." -he said, winking.

" _Geez_. Barely starting and I'm already subbing in for the god, huh?" -she teased.

"In a very roundabout way, I think it's a compliment. What do _you_ think?"

Kara sat where Stark had, minutes earlier. She stared off for some time, aware of the weight of the decision she was making - practically, the rest of her life. "I think...I think I better get used to 'Supergirl'."


	3. Chapter 3

Kara's dreams were rarely pleasant.

Sometimes, they took her back to Krypton, those last few _terrible_ days - paranoid soldiers indiscriminately gunning down citizens on the streets, thinking them possible rebels, defense turrets shooting down ships that tried to escape, and their own starships bombing innocent towns from orbit, all while the planet slowly collapsed in on itself.

Other times, she'd dream of the escape, the frantic run towards the secret hangar as Zor-El valiantly held the soldiers off. The fear in her mother's eyes as the hastily programmed launch sequence counted down, Argo City falling apart around them. She'd seen it all, been scarred by most of it. The Chitauri and their victims - those she had failed to save - were bound to join her nightmares. She counted herself lucky that she woke up having dreamt only of her fifty-two year long faster-than-light journey through the Phantom Zone.

Kara looked around, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, feeling - not for the first time - like she didn't belong. Winn and herself had been granted access to the upper levels of the damaged Stark Tower. Despite the cracks on the plaster and the dust that covered everything she could see, the place was much too opulent for her tastes. Every room she'd been to looked like a presidential suite.

She smiled softly at Winn's snoring form on the couch beside the bed. He'd surprised her; Winn was a mild mannered nerd, and yet he'd inspiredly taken charge, protecting the survivors while she drew the Chitauri to attack her. He definitely deserved the rest. Probably a change of clothes, if she could find it.

"Hey JARVIS, where could I find clothes in his size?"

The AI - yet another invention of Stark's that threw her back to her childhood - swiftly replied. " _I believe the room directly in front of yours is stocked with a male wardrobe, Ms. Danvers._ "

"Thanks. Make sure to deduct it from my Avenger salary." -she said, then cocked her head. "Wait, _do_ I get a salary?"

" _S.H.I.E.L.D. has stipulated a United States Army Colonel's wage for any present and future members of the Avengers Initiative. Additionally, Mr. Stark remarks that anything within Stark Tower - with the exception of the contents of his workshop, the various labs, and the Avengers' personal quarters - is free to make use of as you see fit._ "

Kara raised an eyebrow. "...alright."

After a much-needed shower, Kara left for the penthouse, a few floors above. Stark had told her to head there after she'd gotten some rest. She didn't find the inventor waiting for her, but instead a very busy looking Pepper Potts. Kara knew of her, of course; Jameson was a bonafide misogynist, and her 'takeover' of Stark Industries had practically given the old jerk a heart attack. She'd had to put up with his... _venting_ on the matter for _quite_ a while.

"Senator Stern must be out of his _mind_ if he thinks this'll stick. It didn't work when he was just after the Iron Man suit, and it's sure as _hell_ not going to work with the _entire Avengers Initiative_. You can _absolutely_ quote me on that. Have a good day." -she spat, visibly annoyed.

Kara spotted an overturned loveseat and restored it, sitting on it. She tried to ignore the vaguely man-shaped crater on the black marble a couple of feet away. Miss Potts hung up the phone, rubbing her temples. "I _hate_ Fox News."

She snickered. "I don't think anyone under the age of sixty listens to them, really."

Potts smirked. "Pretty much. Still, it doesn't hurt to cover all of our bases." -she said, walking over and extending her hand. "Pepper Potts. Pleasure to meet you."

Kara completed the handshake. "Kara Zor-El. I'm a big fan."

The redhead cocked her head. "I thought you went by Danvers."

"I'm, uh, embracing the whole _alien_ thing."

"Right. Tony told me. Y'know, between you and Thor, I'm starting to think that, not only are we not alone in the universe, we're not even unique. We all look the same."

Kara smiled. "Don't worry, Miss Potts. I'm sure there's plenty of weird-looking aliens out there."

"Please, call me Pepper." -she said, walking off and motioning for her to follow. "Tony's obviously been pretty busy, but he's somehow made the time to whip up a suit for you to use while you're out there, kicking ass and saving the world." -she said, gesturing towards a metallic case with the Stark Industries logo, set on top of a bar stool. "I think he left you a note."

Kara picked up the post-it note. "' _I haven't yet invented a material that's more durable than your own skin, but it should at least keep up with you better than a cardigan and a Chevy's hood.'_ " -she read. The case opened itself, no doubt prompted by JARVIS.

She made a little strangled sound when she saw the contents. Inside was a bodysuit, royal blue from the waist up, the waist and legs a dark, almost black shade of maroon. Smack dab in the middle of the chest, a red and gold metallic crest in the shape of a shield bore her House's sigil. A golden belt, as well as a bright red cape, skirt, and boots completed the ensemble.

"How did he _know_? This is...it's almost authentic Kryptonian garb. A warrior could wear this under their armor and no one would've batted an eye."

"Well, _I_ picked the skirt." - she said, winking. "Since S.H.I.E.L.D.'s given us complete control over the Initiative, they turned over all their files on you, your pod...what you brought from home. I imagine he picked up some inspiration from that." -Pepper reasoned. "I'm glad you like it."

Kara poked the metal shield with some strength, and was elated to find that it did not budge. "How did you guys agree to have S.H.I.E.L.D. let you... _us_ off the chain?"

Pepper sat beside her. "Well, it was actually Director Fury's idea. Clearly, he's not too happy with the World Security Council. We've agreed to keep the Avengers separate from their chain of command. In exchange, he expects us to act on whatever intel his agency provides."

"I'm kinda glad. I feel bad for saying this, since he, y'know, found me and all, but I don't really like Fury."

The redhead gave her a sardonic smile. "I don't think anyone does, Kara. Not even himself. But he's a necessary evil, I suppose."

"Right."

Pepper shrugged. "Anyway, feel free to settle in. If you'd like us to move your belongings to your quarters, just say the word. I'm headed back to California for the week, so it'll just be you, JARVIS, and Mr. Schott until Tony gets it into his thick head that he needs an actual bed and a real shower to function."

Kara snorted. "That's ok. I was thinking about heading out, anyway. There's still a _lot_ to do down there."

She nodded approvingly. "Make sure you wear your cape, then."

Kara gazed, starry eyed, at the familiar red cloth. "How could I not? This thing came with me all the way from Krypton."


	4. Chapter 4

**Everything is going a little too well for Kara, huh? Let's balance things out a little.**

* * *

It was strange, floating down from Stark's armor-removing landing pad to the barely reined in chaos below. Few people saw her descend; those that did, did not seem impressed. Kara tried not to take it too personally; she was no armored billionaire, and they'd only just seen the norse god of thunder rain lightning from the skies. Next to them, a floating blonde with a cherry-red cape wouldn't be too shocking.

A niggling voice in the back of her mind, however, wondered if maybe they were all caught up with the _Bugle_.

Her blooming insecurities were _not_ helped by the approaching, _disapproving_ figure. "What the _hell_ are you wearing?"

Her sister walked up to her just as she touched down. Kara had never seen Alex decked out in full S.H.I.E.L.D. gear, and she had to admit her big sister looked _incredibly_ intimidating in the black, blue, and grey of her bodysuit and armor. Suddenly, her cape felt a _little_ too big around her shoulders.

"Hey, Alex." -she said, nervous. "Stark gave this to me. This is my...uniform?"

Alex sighed, long-suffering. Kara winced; her sister did _not_ appreciate the former playboy. "Kara, what _exactly_ are you hoping to accomplish with this?"

Kara cleared her throat. "I'm not _hoping_ to accomplish anything, Alex. I'm just doing what I can to help."

"This isn't a goddamn game, Kara. It's not you taking down an imaginary pirate with a cardboard sword - it's _your life_ on the line. I don't know what _Stark_ told you, but you should be laying low, not _presenting_ like this. Like a _target_."

She frowned. " _Hide_? Alex, I made a choice. I walked out on my job, on my anonymity, to _help_ people. What good is hiding going to do me now?"

"You _jumped_ out on your job. Didn't exactly look both ways before you did, right? You wanna remind me what you were fighting?"

"Stark called them Chitauri."

"Everyone else? Calling them _aliens_. Guess who's getting grouped up with them?"

"And I should, what, deny I'm not? News flash, sis, I'm _not_ from Earth."

Alex winced. "Kara, you've hid the entire time you've been here. And it's _worked_. Nobody ever suspected. And you may not have been born on this planet, but you grew up here, with _us_. Everything you've ever _told_ me you wanted to do was _fit in_." -she said, hurt. Alex reached for the shield on her chest, poking it roughly. " _This_? The _exact opposite._ Can you blame me for being worried out of my mind?"

Kara hesitated. "I don't blame you, Alex. I just...you're right, ok? I didn't really think about the consequences. But...I can't sit it out anymore. If I have to be the last Kryptonian, I should make it count, right? I should use these powers for good."

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. "I... _god_ , why do you have to be so... _noble_?" -she growled. "What if you get hurt, huh?"

Kara rolled her eyes. "I just spent a couple of days fighting off an alien invasion. Do you see me hurt?"

"Not even a scratch. And that's the thing: people are already wondering why you didn't even lose a strand of hair, while Stark had to _scrap_ his stupid armor. What if even one of those people starts to ponder what it _actually_ takes to hurt you?"

The blonde crossed her arms. "I'll...I'll figure it out, alright? This isn't like one of your missions, Alex. I can't plan for everything."

Her sister sighed. "I wish you'd at least try, Kara." -she said, then offered her a tired smile. "For what it's worth...I _am_ proud of you, for helping. I just wish you'd, I don't know, volunteer at a soup kitchen, instead of this."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "That's actually not a bad idea. I'll keep an eye out for one."

"Of _course_ you will." -she said, resignation winning over. "You're sure about this, then? Wearing that, being a superhero?"

"Halloween's still a few months away, right?" -Kara joked. She grabbed at the edges of her skirt. "The suit...it's _great_ , but I'm not wearing it for fun, or even for protection. I want to be someone people know to trust, but also someone that makes the bad guys think twice. I don't know Stark like you do, but...I think he got that about me. This isn't power armor or a fancy shield. I don't need that. It's just... _me_."

"What do you mean?"

"This is who I am, Alex. It's my full identity: the last Kryptonian, and your clumsy sister. A cute skirt and the sigil of my House. Like you said, I'm the alien trying to fit in. And I think I've finally found my place in this world."

Her sister looked at her. _Really_ looked. "You're sure." -she said, finally. Her sister reached out and embraced her. Kara nearly dropped her jaw - Alex was _not_ into public displays of affection. As it was, the hug lasted but a second. "Be _safe_ , Kara. I know you're bulletproof, but the world's getting pretty goddamn _weird_ , and sooner or later, it's gonna catch up to you."

Kara smiled. "I will. Thank you, Alex."

She scoffed. " _Don't_. You wanna help, right? I'm sending you to Hill. See if you're thankful after you meet her."

* * *

Kara had been chewed out _plenty_ of times before. Her foster parents had been pretty patient with her, but there were only so many times she could accidentally break their stuff before they lost their temper. There'd been that date she'd unintentionally pulverized the clavicle of when he'd gotten a _little_ too handsy at prom. And who could forget her _charming_ former boss?

Most of those times, she'd explained things away as accidents. An adrenaline rush, a total lack of balance. If you asked anyone around her, they'd describe her as _unbelievably_ clumsy. She'd never been reprimanded for _intentionally_ using her superpowers before, however.

"Tell me what you see, Danvers." -Maria Hill asked her, referring to a screen hung above a map of New York, which she'd been studying. Her tone was neutral but her eyes betrayed a certain disdain.

The image was pretty clear; Kara, flying through a window, punching a whale monster straight into the ground.

"I flew through a building and punched a huge space fish in the head."

"Said _space fish_ landed on the streets, crushing dozens of cars and ruining half a block. You got lucky; people saw that thing and ran for the hills. No one got crushed under it. The only damage you caused was to the city itself, something you and the rest of the Avengers seem quite _keen_ on."

Kara swallowed. Hill put on another clip. This time, she was tanking - that's what Winn called it, anyway - a few plasma bolts, drawing the foot soldiers' attention while Winn was lining up a shot. "How about here?"

"Well, he's off-camera, but my friend was moving to a better angle to shoot at the Chitauri. I was covering for him."

Hill crossed her arms. She reminded her a bit of her aunt Astra, unbeatable, terrifying warrior that she had been. The horror stories she'd heard from Alex about Hill...Kara could see why her sister had a healthy bit of fear and respect for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Deputy Director. "Oh? Does Mr. Schott have some kind of _marksman_ training we're unaware of?"

Kara resisted the urge to snort, wincing instead. "Only when he's playing. Videogames, I mean. Still, he _was_ a pretty good shot."

"What he _is_ is a civilian. Danvers, he has no enhancements. While his behavior under pressure is... _admirable_ , he's the outlier. What if he'd gotten ambushed while you were taking fire? Could you have gotten to him in time?"

She winced. "Maybe?"

"You don't _know_?"

"...no. I mean, I _do_ know. I probably wouldn't have reached him in time to save him. We took a risk, and it paid off."

" _That_ time."

Kara's stomach dropped. Hill played the next clip, but she closed her eyes, knowing it was coming. She didn't need to see that clip again. Nothing could drown out the screams, however. "What about this one, Kara?" -Hill asked her, her tone as hard as Kara's own skin.

"I...I couldn't…"

" _Why_?"

Kara grabbed at her elbows. "I got distracted."

"How so?"

She felt tears well. "I was doing so _well_...finally able to let loose against them. I felt like _myself_ for the first time since I landed here. I got...carried away."

Hill turned the display off, crossing her arms. "I'll tell you this, Kara. Nobody has a perfect record -not Rogers, not Stark, not even Alex. Sometimes, we simply can't save everybody. But, we give it our best shot, even if it means sacrificing ourselves." -she said. "You don't need to worry too much about that. As far as anyone can tell, you're indestructible. What you _need_ is _focus_. On the enemy, on the environment you're fighting in, and on the people you protect. Your needs come last. Your _wants_ aren't even part of the picture. Being a hero has never been about the power fantasy."

Kara nodded, swallowing through the knot in her throat. "I know. I screwed up."

"Which is _why_ , starting next week, you're going to _train_. All of the Avengers have experience they can fall back on in tough situations. You're practically a civilian, so you'll be learning from them, and _with_ them. Director Fury may have given you operational freedom, but S.H.I.E.L.D. still expects their allies to have a certain level of competence."

Kara nodded. "I...I understand."

Hill narrowed her eyes in disbelief. "You will, in any case. If you're still set on helping today, go find Captain Rogers. He's helping clear the rubble on 6th."

Hill walked out of the tent, leaving Kara with her thoughts. She hadn't expected Alex's boss to know about her horrific mistake - not even Winn had realized, chalking Kara's anguished cries up to her generally good nature - but it seemed S.H.I.E.L.D. lived up to its reputation of keeping track of her every move. As soon as she'd been added to the agency's Superhuman Enhancement Index, Fury had kept a _very_ close eye on her.

Eventually, she opted not to wallow any longer. ' _Action, Kara._ ', Astra seemed to speak in her mind, ' _Words and thoughts are naught if not translated into it_.'

Her beloved aunt may have turned out to be a rebel and a terrorist, but she'd had _some_ wisdom to impart.


	5. Chapter 5

Ever since her arrival, Kara had been continually impressed with humanity's ability to survive. No matter how badly they were knocked down, they always rose back up. Kryptonians had never been nearly so flexible or spirited; they had ruled entire star clusters for eons, and thus expected little to threaten them, growing complacent. It's what had destroyed them, in the end.

Flying over the ruined streets of New York was as sobering as it was inspiring. The Chitauri had been merciless in their destruction; she counted only two undamaged buildings on her way to Captain Rogers. It took her a while, too, as she seemed unable to advance half a block without spotting someone that could use her help.

"Hey, you're that alien lady, right?" -an old man wearing a construction helmet asked her as she landed near him and his crew, crowded around a huge steel beam.

She nodded. "Yeah. Call me Supergirl."

"Yeah, yeah, I read the paper. You're pretty strong, aren't you? Think you can lift this thing? The crane's stuck God-knows-where and we really need to weld this in."

"Oh, sure." -she said, grabbing the metallic support. She could barely feel the weight, but the balance was kinda tricky, wobbling a bit in her arms as she floated upwards.

Kara couldn't help smiling at the astonished looks on the workers waiting for her, three stories above.

"Hey guys." -she said.

"Holy _shit,_ lady."

"Yeah, what the _hell_?"

She blushed. "Come on, it's not a big deal. You've seen the other guys."

One of the guys shrugged as he steered her into place. "I mean, sure, Stark and his pals, they're flashy. Haven't seen any of 'em around here, though."

Kara frowned. "Really? I was told to look for Captain America around here."

"I think Lenny saw 'im this morning. Probably hasn't come out of his tent since, though, just like yesterday."

"Oh." -Kara said, disappointed. "I thought he'd be on the streets."

"I heard from one of the agents that he's been looking for the other superheroes, the ones that didn't make the headlines. Maybe he's onto one?"

Kara pursed her lips. "I hope so. The Chitauri might never come back, but if they do, we're gonna need all the help we can get."

"No argument here. Thanks, Supergirl."

She nodded, flying away. By the time she made it to Sixth, she'd carried a dozen cars out of the way, caught and severed a wild power line, and captured an escaped pet tarantula. If she was freaked out by how its owner nonchalantly put it on his head like a hat after thanking her, she didn't say a thing.

Kara half-heartedly searched for the Captain on the streets, only to find yet another Stark Industries-branded tent. She landed and walked in, instantly spotting Rogers examining a computer tablet.

Rogers looked at her, instantly straightening. "Miss Danvers."

"Hello, Captain Rogers."

"Welcome. I was told you'd visit."

She offered him a hand, which he took. The man had an iron grip, but she still felt the need to hold everything back so as to not break him. Rogers noticed, wincing a bit.

"Sorry." -Kara said, swiftly releasing the Captain's hands.

"Don't be." -he replied. "I just felt a whole lot younger just now."

Kara blinked. "How so?"

"I wasn't always like _this_." -he gestured towards his body, a well sculpted physique that would have been the envy of more than one Kryptonian warrior. "Used to be the wind would blow and I'd need to hold on for dear life."

"Oh. I didn't know." -Kara said.

"That's alright. It's kind of refreshing, actually. Everyone seems to have some kind of encyclopedic knowledge about me, these days."

Kara snorted. "That happens when you're, like, people's favorite part about american history. I missed that part of human education, but my sister had a lunchbox with _that_ on it." -she said, pointing at the perfectly round shield at his feet.

"Your sister is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, right? Under Deputy Director Hill?"

"Yeah. Alex Danvers."

"Right. Her family adopted you, then?"

"More like Fury dropped me off on their front porch one night, but yeah. Can't thank them enough."

Rogers hummed. "I get that. I practically grew up with my best friend." -he said, forlorn. Then he cleared his throat. "Anyway. I hear you're one of us, now."

She smiled. "I am, yeah. Never thought you guys would offer, but things have been pretty crazy lately. Trying to roll with the punches, y'know?"

"In that case, I suggest getting busy. It's not a cure, but it'll make things better for a while."

"Oh, I have been. I think I've carried every _heavy thing_ on New York that fell during the battle."

He snorted. "I believe it. You're getting pretty popular with folks."

"Really?"

"Really, Kara. People like seeing you on the ground, getting your hands dirty. Barring Stark's established celebrity status, I think you might be the most popular Avenger."

Kara rubbed the back of her neck. "Aw, geez. I'm just trying to help."

"We all are, in our own way."

"I actually heard you were looking for more potential Avengers." -Kara said, curious.

He raised an eyebrow. "It's true. Also, supposedly _classified_. In any case, there were sightings reported here during the battle. Some guy swinging around like a yo-yo and leaving aliens wrapped up in some kind of sticky material."

Kara gasped. "Are you talking about the Spider-Man? Half of New York thinks he's an urban legend."

"Apparently not."

"He's also supposed to be from _Queens_. What's he doing around here?"

"I'm hoping the crisis drew him out, like you. We need that kind of drive in the team. People willing to protect those who cannot defend themselves."

Kara felt her chest warm a little. "Can I help you look?"

He shook his head. "No. At least, not yet. I don't want to overwhelm him. And besides, you've been doing solid work on the streets. Kind of putting the rest of us to shame."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Nothing to be sorry for. You're closer to the average person than any of us. It's no surprise you prioritize relief efforts. And as much as I'd like to be out there with you, I can't rest without knowing I'm doing everything I can to make sure the next disaster doesn't hit as hard as this one."

She looked at him, evaluating. Kara couldn't shake the feeling that she'd expected more from the Captain. Part of why she'd been so driven to help was knowing how much her sister had hero-worshipped him as a kid. It made sense, though. Rogers was a soldier, someone who'd commanded troops and won battles. He was bound to have a more strategically oriented mind. Kara knew to be wary of that; when soldiers lost sight of the people they were meant to protect, callousness and cruelty often followed.

"You know, Captain...there's really no need for me to hog the public eye. The Spider-Man is supposed to be nocturnal; I don't think you're gonna find him until nighttime. You _could_ take a break and come help me out."

Rogers paused. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s file on him doesn't mention that."

Kara winced. "Damn. I thought it was a little odd that you hadn't caught up to him yet. I bet his file doesn't even mention his name."

"It _doesn't_. How do you know?" -Rogers asked.

"I'm pretty familiar with how the Index works, Captain. Fury likes to keep the files on Enhanced minors purposefully bare. Aliases and power sets only."

Rogers narrowed his eyes. "You're saying he's underaged."

"Must be. S.H.I.E.L.D. is an intelligence organization first and foremost; there's no such thing as a truly secret identity outside of comic books; at least, not when they're watching. Spider-Man is no exception."

"That makes finding him more of a priority, then."

Kara frowned. "You're not seriously considering him still for a spot on the team, are you?"

"I am. More than before, actually."

"He's a kid!"

"He's a young man with a lot of power on his hands. He needs training and support."

Kara crossed her arms. "He's not a soldier, Captain."

Rogers looked contrite, but his resolve did not waver. "I know. Stark said the same thing, before the battle. But we can't afford to treat this any other way. We may not be soldiers, but people are going to count on us to defend the planet from now on."

The Kryptonian scowled, uncomfortable. The Captain's motivations made sense, but the idea of recruiting a teenager did _not_ sit well with her. The main reason she'd managed to turn out as well as she had was that she'd had the chance to _grow up_ ; to play with her sister, to go to school, to have a terrible prom date.

"Look. I understand your discomfort, but I'd rather have him closer, where we can help him. People said he was wearing _jeans_ during the battle."

Kara didn't feel too reassured, but she nodded. "Right. Well, offer's still standing. You're welcome to come help out."

Rogers gave her an apologetic smile. "I'll take a rain check. There's a lot to do here even without Spider-Man appearing. Thank you, Kara."

She nodded, exiting the tent. Kara willed her feet off the ground, troubled.

* * *

 **I suppose it comes across fairly clearly that I do not like Steve Rogers. Chris Evans plays him perfectly, and Rogers is ultimately an interesting character, but I don't think I like him as a person, especially the way he's gone in the MCU. I'll do my best to do him justice, though.**


	6. Chapter 6

Kara floated somewhat listlessly into Stark's workshop, answering JARVIS' summons. "Rao's not even up, yet, Stark. Do you ever sleep?" -she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and adjusting her glasses.

"Sleep is for those who lack caffeine." -Stark said, not even bothering to look up from whatever he was tinkering with. "What's a 'Rao'?"

"He's, like...God? Well, _was_ , to us. Rao is the Kryptonian god of the sun." -she said, sitting on a nearby stool.

Stark raised an eyebrow. "Does it have anything to do with the whole 'kryptonians-as-solar-batteries' thing?"

"Honestly? I don't remember. My parents weren't very religious." -she said, forlorn. "I only use it in conversation so I don't, y'know...forget."

The inventor hummed. "You know your pod is in a S.H.I.E.L.D. cold storage facility, right?"

"Is it? Fury said they needed to study it. He _promised_ to give it back someday, but I have a feeling _that's_ not happening anytime soon."

"You're an Avenger now, though. Pretty sure that means you get all _kinds_ of clearance you didn't have before." -he suggested.

Kara pursed her lips. "Maybe. I'll...I'll think about it."

Stark nodded. "Square deal. I'll send you the coordinates for it later. I wouldn't mind exchanging a little favor for 'em, though."

Kara narrowed her eyes. "What's on your mind?"

"New inventions, alien invasions, rapidly developing PTSD...y'know, the usual. Talking about this, though." -he said, and pointed to the object he was fiddling with - a small, hollow triangle made of a light blue metal she'd never seen before. "I need you to zap it."

Seeing Kara's confused expression, he rolled his eyes. "...by 'zap it' I mean, 'use the particle beams you _shoot_ out of your eyes'."

" _Oh_. Um, sure, I can do that. Not for very long, though." -she said, taking off her glasses.

"Why's that?"

"Well, it's very draining, for one. Like you said, I'm like a battery. When I'm out in sunlight, it's no problem, I can use my powers as much as I want. But, indoors or at night, it's a little trickier."

"Got it. What's the other problem?"

"It hurts my eyes sometimes. Like, if the beam is too intense, or I hold it for too long, it hurts." -she said, then held her glasses up. "I _legitimately_ need to wear these because of the first time I used my heat vision."

Stark snorted. "'Heat vision', huh?"

She blushed. " _Quiet_ , you. Alex and I came up with that name when we were kids." -she admitted. "My powers, they started manifesting the longer I soaked up sunlight."

"Makes sense. What was the timetable like?"

"Well, by the end of the first day, I was invulnerable. In a week, I could lift the family van. The heat vision took the longest to develop - about six months - and it was _miserable_. My eyes hurt like you wouldn't believe, and my face felt stuffy all the dang time, like a permanent cold. Eventually, I couldn't hold it in anymore, and I, uh...well, I may have blown up our kitchen."

"You're kidding."

Kara shook her head. "Wish I was. S.H.I.E.L.D. covered the repairs, but it sucked seeing my sister and her parents terrified of me and what I could do. Plus, the beams were so strong, and my invulnerability so new, that they permanently damaged my sight. Most of it healed, but not all of it. I'm _basically_ near-sighted. Or whatever the kryptonian equivalent is."

She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the triangular object, then thought of anger and frustration, of aggression and violence. The skin around her eyes glowed, the air superheated, and the sky blue orbs disappeared under a torrent of raw power, which immediately made contact with the triangle. She grunted as a familiar ache manifested, but held the beam.

"Shit, stop, that's enough."

Kara closed her eyes, and the beam stopped. Her vision was blurry, but she knew to expect that, and tried to blink it away. Once she recovered and donned her glasses again, she found a gobsmacked Tony Stark staring at her. "Uh...what is it?"

Stark blinked. "JARVIS, how hot was that?"

" _Supergirl's 'heat vision' measured in excess of one-million, seven-hundred and twenty Kelvin. Well in excess of the necessary temperature needed to synthesize vibranium._ "

"That's not what I meant, but thanks anyway." -he said, ignoring Kara's indignant blush. "That is _seriously_ fantastic. You could slice my newest armor in half, easy. Gonna have to start thinking about better ablative materials for the next one. JARVIS, make a note."

" _Noted, Sir_."

Kara shook her head. "Is that all you wanted me for?"

Stark shook his head. "No, actually. Synthesizing vibranium is child's play for me, nowadays. I just wanted to record and measure this awesome power of yours. Now that you're here, and since the clean-up phase is mostly done, I thought you could deliver a package for me." -he said, and rose. Stark walked towards one of the workshop's walls, which opened up like a closet. Inside were various drawers, and he pulled one of them out, grabbing a suitcase, very similar to her own.

"Is that another suit?" -she asked, curious.

"Yep. Sort of a mid-way point between yours and mine." -he said, popping it open.

Kara gasped. "You made him a suit? _Already?_ "

"It's fairly simple, Kara. Only managed to throw a fraction of the cool shit I wanted into it. Still, it should be more than enough to keep him safe for a while."

The suit inside was red and blue, with black accents, mostly inspired by a spider's web. Huge, stylized white eyes stared back at her, almost mirroring her own surprise. "How the heck am I supposed to find the Spider-Man?"

"I don't know, run a flying search pattern or something. Just don't do whatever Rogers is doing, and you should find him in no time."

"Why's that?"

Stark offered her a smarmy grin. "I already know everything there is to know about the kid, so I've been trying my best to throw Cap off the trail."

Kara's eyes widened. " _Seriously_?"

"He's not exactly been the epitome of careful, you know." -he said, his tone softening. "Just a kid trying to do the right thing with whatever he's got available. I can respect that. I can _support_ that, even, hence this little gift from Uncle Iron Man. I just happen to disagree with Rogers regarding our recruitment practices."

"And you'd rather go behind his back?" -she asked, a little worried.

"I'd rather avoid the argument, at least for a while. Rogers' heart is in the right place, don't get me wrong; the kid needs training, more than any of us. The fact remains, though, that he's a kid. _Underaged_. Having him on as an Avenger just wouldn't fly."

The kryptonian pursed her lips. Again, with the conflicting ideologies; where the Captain's approach seemed far too 'hands-on', Stark's idea was too removed for her tastes. The Spider-Man needed a bit more support than a fancy Stark-made suit.

Maybe she could do something about that.

"Well, at least give me a hint. Where do I start looking for the guy?"

Stark winked. "Queens."


	7. Chapter 7

Kara spent half the day looking at local Reddit boards, looking for any information that might help her locate the Spider-Man. They weren't very helpful, of course; she'd hardly been the first to have the idea of pinpointing the guy's location based on eyewitness accounts. That approach only suggested the guy mainly - though not exclusively - operated in Midtown, Manhattan, something she'd already known. The only photos of him were blurry, there were no recordings of his voice, and his costume, simple as it was, covered everything.

Stark was right, though. Whoever the guy beneath the bug-eyed mask was, he _definitely_ came from Queens. Floating around the place revealed a rather unique pattern; she saw none of the telltale webs she might've expected - they seemed to dissolve after a few hours - but instead spotted a ton of minor damages in strange, hard to reach places; little patches of shingles torn from roofs, bricks pulled askew from brownstones' walls, a shattered window seven stories from the ground, that kind of thing. Kara briefly considered the possibility of them being a result of the invasion, but none of the action had really reached Queens.

Considering Spider-Man's preferred method of travel, Kara was willing to bet that the damage had been caused by the weight of a swinging teenager-turned-human-pendulum.

Her search led her back to Midtown, as the sun set on New York City. She picked a good vantage point - the Daily Bugle's broadcast antenna, for irony's sake - and sat, observing.

It was hard to believe how far along into recovery the city was already; all the alien bodies and vehicles had been cleared away, and the rubble was being steadily shipped out of New York. Reconstruction would take years, sure, but thanks to Stark Industries, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the recently developed Department of Damage Control, the Big Apple was pretty much back to its natural rhythm. She briefly pictured what Argo might have looked like, if the civil war had ended, if Krypton had not exploded. Kara couldn't help but wonder if her kind would've been as quick to start picking up the pieces.

Just as the sun vanished from view, the roof maintenance access below her opened - not too odd a thing, considering it was most of the employees' preferred smoking area, but worth a look nonetheless. She peered around the dish she'd chosen to sit on to get a closer look, and was surprised to find a short, curly-haired teenager, bent down over a small backpack, so full it seemed to burst at the seams. Kara raised an eyebrow: the guy looked... _familiar_.

Her brain missed the connection, however, as the young man pulled out a highly customized red balaclava, and slipped it on.

Kara averted her eyes as the kid started stripping down in a hurry. No _wonder_ he looked familiar; she'd seen him come and go every other day, all shy smiles and puppy-dog eyes as her former boss cruelly evaluated his work. Peter Parker was a photographer, barely fifteen, struggling to make ends meet, somehow balancing a scholarship at Midtown Science, an internship at OsCorp, and freelance photography, which he sold to the _Bugle_ for an outrageously low sum.

Peter Parker was also - and Kara couldn't fathom _how_ \- the urban legend known as the Spider-Man.

Just as she was about to pop out of cover and come clean to the guy, she heard a distinctive _thwip_ sound. Kara floated upwards, but Parker had already jumped, swinging on to the nearest skyscraper.

Excited, the kryptonian pulled out her phone to message Stark, only to find a text from the man himself. "' _Told you he wasn't very careful._ '" -she read aloud, and snorted. _Should I call you Tony Stalk from now on?_ _Leave the kid be_ , she shot back.

Kara took to the skies, tracking Spider-Man. The young vigilante was incredibly _fast_ , making use of every little bit of momentum and some very clever web-slingshot tricks to reach some vertigo-inducing speeds, even for her. Parker was rushing towards the OsCorp building like it was on fire. The skyscraper was _not_ , in fact, burning, but the ominous obsidian monolith still filled Kara with apprehension; Norman Osborn's company was _infamous_ for pushing bio-science just a bit farther than what was acceptable.

Peter circled the building once, twice, and a final third time, going higher and higher until he reached the roof. Kara silently approached, curious about his reason for being there. Parker made his intent _quite_ obvious when he forced open the lock to the maintenance access with his bare hands.

"I'm pretty sure that was locked for a reason." -she blurted out, landing behind him.

Parker turned, fast as a whip, and slung a web at her, which she barely managed to block with Stark's suitcase. The young man _pulled_ , stronger than she would've imagined, and managed to yank it out of her hands. "You're _really_ getting on my _case_ , lady." -he said, half annoyed, half amused, then his strange, comically large mechanical lenses widened - Kara assumed, in recognition. It's not like _she_ wore a mask.

"How's it going, _Spider-Man_?" -she asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Since I'm assuming this isn't a photo op for Jameson, you mind telling me _why_ you're breaking into a billion dollar company?"

He cleared his throat. "No clue what you're talking about." -he declared, letting the crushed padlock fall from his fingerless gloved hand. "Thanks for the neat gift, though."

Kara shrugged. "I'm just the delivery girl. Stark's the one you should be thanking for the makeover."

Parker blinked. "Wait...are you saying this is _actually_ for me?" -he asked, giving the case a second look. "Makeover...this is a _suit_!?"

"There should be a note inside, somewhere." -she said. "He said it's missing a lot of bells and whistles, but he _definitely_ wanted you to have a suit, yeah."

He gasped, but stopped himself from opening the case. "What's the catch?"

Kara pursed her lips. "I'll let you know when I find out for myself. He gave me this suit, too."

"You _do_ look pretty spiffy, Miss Danvers." -he finally acknowledged. " _Suits_ you a lot better than the PA look."

Kara snorted. "Thanks. You still haven't answered my question."

Parker set the case down. "Well...I'm supposed to meet someone from the inside. We think there's some sort of conspiracy going on here, and we're trying to get to the bottom of it."

"Peter?" -a small voice came from behind the now unlocked door. Kara raised an eyebrow, while Parker seemed to shrink, turning around to open the way.

Behind the door was a young teen about Peter's age, wrapped up in a lab coat. She was slightly taller than Parker, and a blonde, her hair pulled back into a very sensible if somewhat small ponytail. Clear blue eyes regarded her in awe from behind her bangs. Parker sighed. "Kara Danvers, meet Gwen Stacy. Gwen, this is... _used_ to be J. Jonah Jameson's personal assistant, Kara."

"You're Supergirl." -Gwen gasped.

Kara smiled. "That would be me, yes. Nice to meet you two. Wish it were under less illegal circumstances." -she said, amused.

Gwen paled. "This isn't...we weren't trying to…"

"Don't worry. You're not in trouble - at least, not with me. I _do_ want to hear more about this conspiracy, though."

The two teens looked at each other. "Can we trust you not to tell anyone else about this?" -Peter asked.

Gwen winced. "This has a lot to do with _him_." -she pointed at Peter. "The thing that gave him his abilities happened here. If it were to get out…"

"I don't want to brag, but I'm _very_ strong." -Peter said, sheepish. "If a fifteen year-old can do what I do, I don't want to imagine what a private army with my powers might look like, and that's _exactly_ what OsCorp is planning."

Kara scowled. "Are you sure?"

Gwen nodded. "I know what I saw. This isn't a military contract, or anything like that. Whoever commissioned this project isn't part of the government."

The kryptonian pondered the situation for a moment. "I can't keep this from Stark." -she warned them. "He already knows pretty much everything there is to know about you, Spider-Man."

The vigilante sighed, chagrined. "...I guess it's fine if the Avengers know, right?"

She winked. "You can trust us. Fill me in."


	8. Chapter 8

A month and a half before the Chitauri dropped from the sky, young Peter Parker had been enjoying an end-of-year school visit to OsCorp. He'd always been interested in the company; not only had his parents worked there in life, but their cutting edge research seemed to always be on the cover of science journals, which he was an _avid_ consumer of.

Sometime during the tour, Peter had managed to sneak away from their group, making his way to one of the restricted labs. In trying to avoid being spotted, Peter had inadvertently walked in on an ongoing experiment, where he was bitten by a highly mutated, radioactive spider. This caused him to develop superpowers, and thus Spider-Man was born.

As far as origin stories went, Kara thought it was decent.

"Do you really think it can happen again?"

"No, I don't. Peter just happened to have the right genetic markers needed to survive the enhancement. Lightning in a bottle, really." -Gwen explained. "But that doesn't really matter, because _OsCorp_ thinks it will work. As soon as they found out about Spider-Man, they went into human testing, ethics be damned."

"And every test subject so far has _died_." -Peter said, grimly. "It's _horrible_ , and that isn't even taking into account that most of the 'volunteers' aren't; they got picked up from the streets."

Kara grimaced. "I assume you have proof?"

"That's what I'm here to get." -he said, pulling out a beat-up USB drive from his pocket.

The kryptonian shook her head. "You really _do_ need the support. Alright, you two, I'll help."

Gwen grinned. Kara crossed her arms. "On _two_ conditions: Gwen gets to safety before anything crazy happens. Non-negotiable."

The blonde tried to protest, but Kara gave her a _look_. "This is going to be dangerous, Miss Stacy. If I recall correctly, OsCorp employs its own private security force, and I'm betting they won't take kindly to this little espionage plot we've got going on."

The teenager sighed. " _Fine_. But you have to keep me in the loop."

"Speaking of which, I'm calling in Stark."

Spider-Man shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "You need a distraction, don't you?"

"Something _subtle_ , preferably. Iron Man is kind of the exact opposite." -Gwen pointed out.

"Sure, but two Avengers will look more convincing than just myself. Besides, I'm pretty sure Stark personally knows Osborn, so he'll be a lot more effective than I ever could be alone." -she reasoned.

The teens shared a look. "Osborn's been bedridden for over a year, Supergirl. He hasn't been CEO for a _while_."

Kara frowned. As far as the public knew, herself included, OsCorp's founder was perfectly healthy. "Then who's the man in charge?"

"It's a woman, actually." -Gwen said. "She got promoted from Chief Science Officer when Osborn couldn't keep up appearances. Her name is Lena Luthor."

The Kryptonian paled. She hadn't heard that name in _years_. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Um...no. She _is_ the acting CEO. Her computer-reproduced signature is on my internship papers." -Peter joked.

" _Rao_ , this is already a mess. Forget about Stark; I'll confront Luthor by myself."

"Uh...ok? Are you sure?" -Gwen asked.

" _Positive_. Just make sure you get that information, Spider-Man." -she said, floating away and towards the main entrance, at street-level.

People gawked as she stormed into OsCorp's lobby, but Kara couldn't bring herself to care. She pushed past the security checkpoint, ignoring the alarms she was triggering, as well as the shouts of the guards.

" _Where_ can I find Lena Luthor?" -she asked a panicking receptionist.

"F-floor ninety, m-ma'am." -he squeaked out.

Kara nodded, and took flight, as a bunch of heavily armed security personnel approached, assault rifles levelled at her.

The building was arranged like one of those toy donut towers - a series of concentric circles with a vast, empty space at its center, currently filled with a self-promoting hologram. OsCorp didn't limit itself to the biological sciences; Osborn had made sure his brainchild had a finger in what seemed like every pie, producing everything from military-grade weapon systems - in Stark Industries' absence - to everyday hygiene products.

It didn't take long to reach the ninetieth floor, only a half-dozen stories or so away from the roof. Kara landed, and roughly pushed open the doors to what could only be the CEO's office.

Just as she'd expected, her former roommate, friend, and hopeless crush sat behind a lush, mahogany desk. Lena Luthor looked much the same as she had, back in college; where Kara looked like the cute-girl-next-door type, Lena was the bombshell supermodel, only now she dressed the part, having ditched the messy hoodies and week-old jeans Kara remembered. A tight black dress hugged her statuesque figure, and her long, raven-black hair was made up into an elegant bun.

" _Kara_?" -the woman asked, rising, clearly confused. " _You're_ the security breach? What are you _doing_ here?"

The kryptonian crossed her arms. "I might ask you the same thing. What the hell, Lena? You always talked about improving humanity, but _seriously_? Illegal human experimentation? That's _low_ , even for you."

Luthor frowned, still clueless. "If this is some kind of vendetta for what I did to you, Kara, I'm sorry, but…"

"Screw _that_. I'm not talking about the past; this is something _very_ much ongoing."

She seemed unconvinced, but let it go. "Then you know more than _I_ do, clearly. OsCorp has been _heavily_ fined in the past for failing to comply with much less risky regulations. _Why_ would we illegally experiment on people? We would _never_ recover from that, if it got out."

Kara shook her head. "I don't know, but I have it on good authority."

The office's doors burst open behind Kara, and a squad of heavily armed security guards followed in shortly. "Are you alright, Miss Luthor?" -the lead asked her, a brutal-looking giant of an eastern european man, pointing a shotgun at Kara's head.

"Just fine. There's no need for any of this, Supergirl and I are only talking. Besides, she's invulnerable; you might as well be threatening her with a bag of marshmallows." -she said, sardonic. "You may take your leave."

The guard did not move. "You _can't_ be serious. This... _thing_ just violated every security policy we have. Mr. Osborn would be _livid_ if he knew." -he defiantly declared.

"But he is _not_ here. And _I_ will see to it that _Kara_ doesn't do it again, Mr. Sytsevich." -she said. Lena's features hardened. "Now, as I'm sure you're aware - Norman's opinions aside - OsCorp does _not_ tolerate any sort of racism, or in this case, _xenophobia_ , from its employees. Supergirl may not be of this world, but she _is_ a person, and I expect you to respect her."

Kara crossed her arms. "It's _fine_. I'm already used to it."

A shadow passed over Luthor's face. " _Regardless_. It's unacceptable."

 _Is it, now?_ , Kara thought, biting her tongue. "Thus, while I appreciate your concern and dedication, I'm forced to ask that you please refrain from attending the OsCorp premises for the next two weeks, Mr. Sytsevich. Your wages will be accordingly sanctioned, of course."

The man turned scarlet, but lowered his weapon. "...of course, Miss Luthor."

They turned around, and filed out of the room. Lena let out a long-suffering sigh. "Half a year at the top, and _still_ they second-guess everything I do."

" _Huh_. I thought he was following your lead very well."

Lena soured. "That's not who I am anymore, Kara. It hasn't been since…"

"Since I told you I was an alien, and you looked at me like I was the most disgusting creature you'd ever seen? Since you basically _kicked me out_ of our dorm room?"

She stared at her desk, downcast. "...yes. Since then." -Lena said, then locked eyes with her. "I'm _sorry_ , Kara. I never got to say that, back then - you never gave me the chance, not that I deserved it. You trusted me with your secret, your heritage, your _heart_...and I couldn't bring myself to look past my biases."

Kara pursed her lips. The last time Kara had talked to Lena Luthor had been two years prior; she'd been eighteen, then, just a semester into her college education. Lena had been her roommate, and they'd instantly clicked; they were both orphans, both _very_ smart - Lena quite a bit more, if she were to be honest, working on her doctorate thesis by the time they met - and they shared a passionate love for humanity as a whole. Where Kara's dream was to use her powers to benefit the people who had taken her in, Lena's goal was to put her immense intellect in service of mankind's evolution and advancement.

Unfortunately for their continued friendship, Kara had started falling for her, and when she'd confessed her feelings, not only had she accidentally revealed her alien heritage, she'd been _brutally_ rejected. Heartbroken, Kara had ditched college, starting the chain of _terrible_ jobs that had landed her in the service of the world's most popular bigot.

The irony had been _too_ damn powerful on that one.

"It's in the past, Lena." -Kara said, fidgeting. "Just...let's focus on the _now_."

Lena shook her head. "What is there to say? I don't know what you're talking about, and you won't tell me what you know."

Kara pursed her lips. "Have you heard about the Spider-Man?"

Lena narrowed her eyes. "...the urban legend?"

"He's _not_ a myth. He exists, and whatever powers he has, he... _might_ have gotten them here. Hypothetically speaking."

Understanding seemed to dawn upon the CEO's features. "That's...you're talking about the serum."

"Serum? What are you talking about?"

"Oh. Forgive me, I forget you didn't grow up on the same education system as us." -she said, pensive. "Doctor Abraham Erskine created a formula in the late nineteen-thirties that conferred superhuman abilities to whoever was treated with it. He called it the Super Soldier Serum, and produced two successful specimens with it, before his untimely death: Johann Schmidt, who became the head of the rogue Nazi science division, HYDRA, and the man who eventually defeated him. Your teammate, Steve Rogers."

Kara hummed. "And you're trying to...what, make more?"

Lena laughed, bitter. "Everyone and their _mother_ has tried to recreate Erskine's achievement. Take Doctor Bruce Banner's rather destructive alter ego; the Hulk is the _disastrous_ result of one such attempt. So far, no one has succeeded, OsCorp included. In fact, our attempt was _so_ terrible, it never moved past mice tests, and was subsequently scrapped. No human testing ever happened."

"Considering Spider-Man is out there, stopping cars with his bare hands, I'd say there was at least _one_ success."

Lena shook her head, stubborn. "I'm sorry, Kara, but that's simply impossible. As Director of Bio-Science, I personally oversaw that data's destruction."

"Well, maybe someone copied it behind your back? Who else had access to it?"

Lena scowled at the idea. "By the end? Only myself and Osborn himself. Norman likes to involve himself in every ongoing project, and obviously has full access to the database."

"You don't think _he_ might've kept a copy?"

"And what would he have done with it?" -Lena said, dismissive. "I'm not supposed to say, but since you _are_ here as an Avenger...Norman is practically on his deathbed. He fell ill a year ago, and in the last six months he's deteriorated so much that he needs twenty-four-seven life support and care."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "You said it yourself, though; people here are still loyal to _him_ over _you_. Who's to say the research didn't continue without your knowledge?" -she asked. Lena looked _angry_ , but not at Kara. More like she was realizing something. "All I know is, this guy got bit by a mutant spider, _here_ , and now he can bench a truck and stick to walls."

Lena fumed, considering the possibility, but did not respond. Instead, her office phone rang and she answered. Kara didn't have to wonder what the conversation was about for long; within seconds, she heard gunshots, coming from below.

"Whatever you and the Spider-Man are planning, I want you to stop." -Lena said. "I believe your story, and I _will_ get to the bottom of this, but stealing company information _isn't_ the way to go. So, _go_. Collect your little sidekick, and _leave_. I'll get in contact with you when I find something."

Kara didn't appreciate the tone, but she knew Lena well enough to realize that her fury was far from aimed at her. She nodded, hurrying towards the violence. "Oh, and Kara?"

She turned. Lena's expression was...uncomfortably soft. "Yeah?"

"It was good seeing you."


	9. Chapter 9

OsCorp's lobby was a _mess_. Innocent bystanders cowered behind whatever cover they could find, be it the receptionist's desk, an overturned vending machine, or the company's logo. Blocking the only exit, two dozen armed security guards took potshots at a blurry red and blue figure, which in turn was frantically trying to find a way around them. Hundreds of dark red splotches covered the place, but Kara was fairly certain that they weren't blood.

Why the Spider-Man wasn't trying to escape through the roof, she didn't know.

Kara touched down, planting herself in the crossfire. "Stop, all of you!" -she barked out.

The vigilante paused, and she got to admire his new look; where Spider-Man's first attempt at a costume had been little more than a modified jogging ensemble, the Stark-made suit was a veritable work of art. The new costume was skin-tight, but thick enough as to obscure his features. Royal blue made up the waist, back, and leg area, while the chest, arms, feet, and head were a bright scarlet, adorned with a web-like design in black. Buried under his waist was a utility belt, with only the various containers protruding through the fabric. In the center of his chest sat a black spider logo, and his mask had a pair of huge, almost cartoon-like white eyes, rimmed in black, which seemed to dynamically change size depending on the expression underneath.

She was snapped out of her reverie by the guards, who not only _didn't_ stop shooting, but actually focused fire on her.

Kara knew for a fact that she was bulletproof. Her parents had never known, but during her monthly check-ins with S.H.I.E.L.D., she'd been subjected to all manner of tests, as part of her Indexation. Most of the experiments had been fairly benign, and rather designed for Enhanced humans; as a result, she'd kind of broken most of them, especially the ones designed to measure superhuman strength. When her durability was put to the test, and she began to prove _those_ tests obsolete, too...well, Fury had shot her in the arm. The round had simply bounced off.

In any case, her experience served for her to immediately realize that the men _weren't_ using real bullets. Bullets had a _bunch_ of kinetic force - not nearly enough to cause her any kind of pain, or even discomfort, but enough for her to notice - and whatever she was getting hit with _didn't_. She looked down, and was surprised to find the same red splotches scattered all around her. _Paint_ , she thought, _I'm getting shot with paint_.

The substance wasn't simple paint, of course; very quickly, it began to harden, and in seconds it became a thick, rock-like formation. Kara was _covered_ in it, which might've been a problem if she wasn't, of course, _herself_. She flexed, and bent over, and the immobilizing agent shattered into dust.

"Now _that's_ just wasteful." -she said, dusting herself off. She smirked at their gobsmacked expressions. "If you guys are done, we'll just be leaving now."

She walked forward, Parker shyly following. The guards stared at them, but, one by one, lowered their weapons. Once outside, Spider-Man tried to get away, but she grabbed the web and hauled him up to the top of a nearby skyscraper.

Once down, Peter seemed to shrink. "I, uh...I can explain?"

"Can you? Go right ahead."

Parker hesitated. "Well...I tried to download the data from the computer Gwen found it at, but it wasn't there anymore. I tried to dig for it, which was a mistake, because it triggered the alarms and locked down the floor I was at."

Supergirl crossed her arms. "And then?"

"Well, I have homework, so I couldn't exactly stay." -he joked. "I forced the blast doors open and ran for the metaphorical hills."

She raised an eyebrow. "So, you didn't get anything?"

"I got _shot_." -he said, showing her a patch of red _stuff_ on the back of his left thigh. "Information-wise, no. Sorry."

Kara sighed. "That's ok. I talked to Lena, and she said she'd look into it."

Peter cocked his head. "'Lena', huh? First name basis already?"

She rolled her eyes. "S'not like that. We just happen to know each other from college."

He hummed. "Are you sure you can trust her? For all _we_ know, she's _in_ the know."

"Honestly? I don't know. Back then, I wouldn't have hesitated to say yes, but...well, things didn't end well between us, to say the least." -she admitted. "She seemed genuine this time, for what it's worth."

Parker shrugged. "I guess we just wait, then?"

Kara nodded. "I'll talk to Stark, see what he has to say. In the meantime, keep your guard up. Whoever's behind this now knows for sure you both _exist_ , and are onto them."

"Guess it's a good thing I have a new suit, huh?" -he said, preening a bit.

"It _is_ a really good look on you." -she admitted.

"It's _perfect_ , Kara! It's got everything! I don't have to worry about getting shot or stabbed anymore, and this hidden belt thingy means my web fluid cartridges will stop falling out of my pockets! I _almost_ couldn't afford the ingredients for it anymore." -he gushed, and for a second, Kara remembered just how _young_ he was. "Oh, _oh_ , and the _mask_! The eyes are _so_ advanced! I can filter light as much as I need to, now! I bet my headaches will be gone, soon."

Kara's stomach fell. She was torn; on the one hand, she already liked this kid - even when he'd just been Peter Parker, she'd appreciated his kindness and humor, a desperately needed boon in the everyday cut-throat environment of the _Bugle_. She knew he'd had a rough life, but his attitude certainly didn't match his past. She felt the need to give him a hug, her room in the Tower...heck, her spot on the team. Kara had been born powerful; Peter was well on the way to achieving greatness entirely on his own merits.

On the other side of the coin, he was just a _kid_. Fifteen years-old, and already getting shot at. Five years back the biggest worry on her mind had been trying _not_ to break her pen every time she saw Brad the quarterback, not a potentially disastrous conspiracy to create _super soldiers_.

"It's not me you should be thanking." -she managed to get a word in. "Stark's been keeping an eye on you for awhile, it looks like."

He laughed nervously. "I know, I know, it's just...he's _Iron Man_ , Kara! I can't just swing by and say hello!"

She frowned. "Why not? That's basically how _I_ got the job. Honestly, I'm pretty sure Thor got in the same way, and _he's_ a _god_."

"That's the thing, though...how do I even compare? I saw the videos, what you guys did. The worst I could do was take out a couple of alien sled thingies. You were _sucker-punching_ space whales."

Kara scowled. "Peter, if we were as great as you think we are, you wouldn't have needed to intervene. None of us are perfect, least of all me. Sure, I have all this strength, I can't seem to be hurt, I can _fly_. I _still_ couldn't save everyone around me. People still got hurt, even _died_ , when I was explicitly trying to protect them." -she said, then poked his chest. "Whatever you became when that spider bit you, 'superfluous' wasn't it."

Parker seemed to straighten up a bit, but his hands still fidgeted. " _Gosh_ , I...you can't see it, but my face kinda matches my mask right now."

She offered a smile. "You deserve the praise, and more. You should really swing by the Tower sometime. If for nothing else, for you to really get the down low on your new suit."

He fidgeted. "Well, how about a deal?"

Kara cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"I, uh...Aunt May has been working the graveyard shift at the hospital lately, so I've had time to patrol the city almost every night. I'd love to have some company, if you're up for it." -he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Not tonight, though, I really _do_ need to catch up on homework."

"Oh? And what would this patrol be like?"

He shrugged. "Just a lap around the city, basically. Keeping the peace, right? Usually takes me about two hours. If we're _really_ lucky, we might run into one of the other vigilantes."

Kara's eyebrow rose. "Just how many of you guys are out there?"

"That I've seen? A good half-dozen. Heard of a lot more, but I don't actually know if they, y'know, _exist_."

The Kryptonian hummed. "I just might take you up on that. Will you be going to the _Bugle_ tomorrow, too? We could meet on the roof."

He facepalmed. "Oh my god, that's where you figured me out, isn't it?"

"Yup. Followed you all the way to OsCorp."

"I _really_ need to take a class on being sneaky. I'm lucky it was _you_ this time."

"'This time'? Who else knows about your powers?"

Parker sighed. "Well, you've met Gwen. We've been friends forever, so the _one time_ I talked to her as Spider-Man she instantly recognized my voice."

"Oof. That's unfortunate."

"Tell me about it."

"Kind of to be expected, though."

He threw his hands up. "She was gonna get mugged!"

Kara laughed. "Hey, no judgement here. I jumped out of the _Bugle_ in full view of absolutely everyone. Nearly gave Jameson a heart attack."

Peter snorted. "I know I'm not supposed to say this as an aspiring hero, but I'm kinda sorry it didn't stick."

"He _is_ kind of the worst." -she said, chagrined. "Alright, Spidey, get out of here. Go be a responsible student. Meet you tomorrow at sunset."

The young hero winked at her, backflipping off of the building. Soon enough, a red and blue blur swung towards Queens. Kara smiled at the sight, but couldn't help the worry that followed as she flew off, thinking of New York's youngest vigilante.


	10. Chapter 10

"I still can't believe that people can be in the middle of a _shootout_ , and their first instinct _isn't_ to immediately get the heck away, but to record it." -Winn said, pouring himself a glass of milk.

His new phone - Stark-tech, of course - showed a holographic representation of yesterday's events, as recorded by an anonymous bystander. "Well, they weren't using live ammo." -Kara reasoned. "But still, I get your point. That was still a very dangerous situation."

Winn shook his head. "Well, at least you handled it well. What were you and Spider-Man doing there, anyway?"

"The plan _was_ just to give him the new suit, but the guy needed help with something on the inside." -she sighed. "What do you know about super soldiers?"

"Like, in general?" -he asked, and she nodded. "Well, it's a pretty popular trope in media. Sort of a power trip for many, myself included. Super soldiers are how you justify having a character that's practically a one man army."

"Oh. Like _Halo_ , right?"

He hummed in agreement. "That's right. In real life, though, it's kind of been the dream for the military since forever. Captain America proved it could be done, so they've tried to replicate it ever since he went down in the Arctic."

"OsCorp's CEO said as much...they came up with their own serum, but it never worked, so they scrapped it." -she said.

Winn crossed his arms. "Makes sense. Osborn's always been a little obsessed with making human beings perfect."

Kara cocked her head. "Perfect?"

"Yeah, like...well, kind of like you, Kara." -he said, blushing a bit. "You're indestructible, super strong, can't get sick, barely need sleep…" -he listed off.

She frowned. "No living being is perfect." -she said, gesturing to the twelve-thousand calories or so she was in the painfully slow process of consuming. "There's always a trade-off."

"Sure, but _you_ try telling Osborn that. And the Army, for that matter."

"I wish I could, but the guy is practically on his deathbed. I don't think he'd be up for a debate."

Winn blinked. "Wait, what? Are we talking about the same guy?"

Kara winced. "Um...well, it's supposed to be a secret, but Norman Osborn is terminally ill. Has been for over a year, and you're _never_ gonna guess who stepped up as acting CEO in his absence."

Her friend seemed shocked. "Jesus...who is it?"

"Lena Luthor."

Winn balked. " _Seriously_? Holy _shit_. She's only been in the company for, what, three years? That's a _hell_ of ladder climb."

"Winn, you _knew_ she worked there?" -Kara asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well...yeah, I did. I didn't keep up with her, or anything, but I _do_ have a Facebook account, Kara. It's good for laughing at the poor life choices of people who used to pick on me." -he shrugged. "But hey, that's beside the point. Lena's never been very active on social media, but she _did_ make the announcement back then."

Kara pursed her lips. "I never knew."

"I mean, that's totally understandable. She was a _total_ bitch to you. Who _slaps_ someone who's confessing a crush? _Seriously_."

"It didn't exactly _hurt_." -she muttered.

"Maybe not _physically_ , but Kara, you were a _mess_ after that. I still remember Alex's face when you told her; she looked like she was about to put together a strike team to eliminate Lena with _extreme prejudice_. And that was _before_ I knew she was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, mind you."

She sighed. "It _definitely_ wasn't great. Anyway, I spoke with her, and she said she'd keep us in the loop. _Someone_ at OsCorp seems to be doing illegal experiments behind her back."

Winn scowled. " _Careful_ , Kara. We both know Lena's not the most... _trustworthy_ person."

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Winn."

"As the son of a very proudly self-proclaimed _serial killer_ who _very much_ earned the chair he last sat on, I'm gonna have to disagree with you, there."

Kara winced. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"S'not like they're not always up here." -he shrugged, tapping his temple. "I'm just saying, Kara; Lena hurt you _so badly_ you ended up scrapping your _entire_ career plan. Maybe I'm being pessimistic, but I _never_ want to see your heart break like that ever again."

She smiled, bashful. " _Aww_...thanks for always looking out for me, Winn."

"Don't mention it. Just doing my duty as 'designated best friend' in Alex's absence."

Kara rolled her eyes. "So, anyway, how's life been in Stark Tower so far?"

Winn smirked. "You mean Avengers Tower?" -he asked.

"What? Since when?"

"Stark made the announcement at about the same time you and Spider-Man were tearing up OsCorp. This place is now the official base of all current and _future_ Avengers."

"I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of a superhero base in the middle of Manhattan. What if we get attacked?"

Winn nodded. "I asked Stark about that, actually. He said he's working on a major security redesign for the whole building. It might take a month or so, but it'll turn this place into a fortress."

"We'll be vulnerable till then, though. More importantly, it'll put everyone around us in danger. I mean, we're sitting _right_ on top of Grand Central Station."

"I've got long term plans, Danvers." -Stark said, walking into the kitchen. "This tower's just a placeholder. I managed to pry one of Dad's old facilities from Fury's cold and gnarly grasp a while back, and I've been getting it ready for us, but since I didn't know who'd be on the final team, it's still pretty barebones."

Kara frowned. "I thought the Avengers formed more... _spontaneously_ than that."

He snorted. "Sorry to disappoint, but Fury's been trying to get a band of misfits like us together since before he had to use the eyepatch." -he said, then motioned for her to follow. "Now, if you're done consuming your weight in bacon, you should get out of your jammies; we're on the clock."

The kryptonian gasped. "We're going on a mission? Already?"

Stark winked. "We've got the new digs, don't we? Might as well celebrate with a post-op party."


	11. Chapter 11

**There's actually some action in this one!**

* * *

Watching Rogers and Stark interact had felt like being in the same room as Aunt Astra and Uncle Non again. Astra had been a very... _free_ spirit, to say the least, a poet and lyricist before accepting her ultimate fate as a self-proclaimed freedom fighter - read: a terrorist. Non was practically her polar opposite; a no-nonsense career soldier proudly serving under General Zod until Astra had practically _seduced_ him into the cause. As much as they loved each other, they got on each other's nerves _a lot_.

If the two knuckleheads she was on this mission with kept it up, Kara was pretty sure they were gonna end up killing each other, or passionately making out.

Stark, she learned very quickly, preferred to just _do_ things. Rogers wanted to plan everything out before-hand. Kara didn't mind _not_ going in blind, but even _she_ had to admit that Captain America's thirty minutes of briefing had been kind of pointless, if not downright _boring_. Especially when, rather uncharacteristically for S.H.I.E.L.D.-provided intelligence, they really didn't have much to go on.

To sum it up: a small gang of unknown, un- _Indexed_ Enhanced had managed to pilfer a few blasters from a shipment of Chitauri weapons, and was planning on doing so again. The agency didn't seem to know how, or _why_ , but they _did_ know when, and where.

Namely, I-95, thirty miles from D.C., in five minutes.

"There's the Damage Control truck." -the Captain announced, at the Quinjet's co-pilot seat. JARVIS was the one actually flying the craft.

"I don't get it." -she muttered, crossing her arms. "First they steal a couple of plasma rifles, now an entire _shipment_? That's too big a jump, too soon."

" _Their first stint was probably a test of some kind. Maybe they're trying out their powers, maybe their willingness to rob an international security agency blind._ " -Stark noted over the comms. Kara glanced out the window and saw Iron Man easily keeping up, just a few hundred feet away.

The Kryptonian frowned; something about the whole thing seemed fishy to her. She tried to focus on something else, and settled on Rogers' new uniform.

She still couldn't fathom where Stark found the time, but the new suit - replacing his damaged, S.H.I.E.L.D. issued one - was _awesome_. Gone were the eye-popping red, white, and blue of the american flag, replaced by a more muted and serious navy, maroon, and bone-white, the silver star in the middle of his chest still very much the ensemble's centerpiece. The suit had a much narrower profile, thanks to the same proprietary fabric Stark had used on her own, and the helmet was now a separate piece, sitting on a rack beside the aircraft's exit ramp. The iconic, indestructible shield remained unchanged.

Rogers spoke up, bringing her back to focus. "Supergirl, you're on. Remember: your first priority should _always_ be getting civilians out of danger."

" _Still, if you get the chance to wallop, don't hesitate_." -Stark added.

The Captain frowned. " _If_ we don't have things handled...then yes, you'll get to be the cavalry. You're our big gun, after all." -he said, then smiled. "You'll do great, Kara."

"Thanks, Captain." -she said, a little nervous. She then walked towards the ramp, and opened it.

Kara let herself be sucked out by the pressure differential, momentarily enjoying the vertigo of freefall, then took off towards the massive, armored truck. Stark took the lead, diving like a particularly sturdy peregrine falcon. As they got close, what appeared to be a small comet made a beeline towards their target, from the opposite direction.

" _There's the first guy_." -Stark said, as the flaming man tossed a couple of fireballs at the truck, which tanked the hits like they were nothing. " _It'll take a little more than a few globs of superheated plasma to stop that truck. I designed them to take a beating._ "

The burning figure took the hint pretty quickly, stopping the attacks, but following along only a few feet behind. With the first strike having proved ineffective, a second Enhanced joined the fray. This one was... _weird_ ; like a pile of orange rocks had been given life and a vaguely humanoid shape. The man - well, the figure looked masculine, anyway - planted himself in the middle of the road, and braced for impact.

" _Alright,_ that _might be enough_." -Stark muttered, engaging the armor's afterburners and leaving Kara in the dust. Iron Man blazed past the human bonfire and the truck, and _slammed_ into the rock person, sending them both tumbling away from the truck's path. The armored vehicle continued, undeterred.

The flaming man looked backwards and spotted her, immediately tossing a few fireballs in her general direction. Kara easily dodged them, making sure the projectiles didn't endanger the rest of the people on the highway, most of whom were now starting to wisely lag behind the action.

"I'm gonna need you to stop attacking that truck _now_." -she shouted, hovering to a stop.

The man seemed to smile, though admittedly, his white-hot, coal-like skin made it hard to tell. "And _I_ need to grab what's inside. Sorry blondie." -he said, his voice distorted by the flaming aura around his form.

She pursed her lips, and launched herself towards the man, intending to grab and subdue him. Before she could reach him, however, she crashed face-first on what appeared to be thin air. Rubbing the stars out of her eyes, Kara discovered that she was now enclosed in a shimmering, glass-like box.

The man smirked, smug, and blasted off after the truck again. Below her, a blonde woman, slightly younger than her, but older than Peter and Gwen, appeared out of nowhere. She wore navy camo pants, a light gray scarf, and a royal blue shirt under a dark gray jacket. Her left hand was extended, the palm open and facing her. "I'm guessing you're the one that made this cage, right?" -Kara asked.

The girl nodded, but _she_ seemed scared, even nervous. "Y-yeah."

"It's pretty cool." -she admitted. "What's your name?"

"M-my name is Sue. We _really_ don't want to hurt anyone, but...w-we _need_ what's in that truck."

"Why?" -Kara asked.

The girl paused. "I...can't tell you. They won't let me." -she said, sad. "I'm _so_ sorry."

Kara frowned. "Well, can you at least let me out of this?"

She shook her head, gulping hard. "If I do, you'll go after my brother. I can't let you stop him, or my friends."

The Avenger rested her palms against the strange wall. "Sue, there are _very_ _dangerous_ weapons inside that truck. If they get in the wrong hands, a _lot_ of innocent people will be in danger."

Sue winced. "It's not the guns they w- _gah_!" -she screamed, doubling over in pain, clutching her neck. Kara realized that she was wearing some kind of shock collar, hidden under her scarf.

"Who's making you do this?" -she asked, angered.

The girl teared up, panting from the shock. "I'm sorry. I...they've ordered me to kill you." -she said, wide-eyed. She started to close her extended hand, and Kara saw the barely visible walls around her constrict. Taking a deep breath, she drew her fist back, and _punched_.

The 'wall' flared cyan, ever so briefly resisting, then broke apart into nothingness. At the same time, Sue yelped and collapsed, suddenly unconscious. Kara wasted no time in flying to her, only to find that the collar around her neck had started beeping. Frantic, Kara searched for the source, and found a thicker section of the device, along with a blinking red light. Deducing its explosive nature, she clasped her hands around it, _just_ in time for it to detonate against her palms with a rather pathetic _poof_ that failed to reflect its macabre purpose.

Relieved, Kara looked Sue over, removing the shattered collar. Aside from a massive nosebleed, and a minor burn from the explosion, she seemed fine. She lifted the younger woman, bridal style, and flew up in the truck's general direction.

"JARVIS, I need an ambulance or something." -she said. "I've caught one of the Enhanced, but she's passed out, and her pulse feels a little weak."

The AI immediately responded. " _Understood. Please deposit the prisoner in the approaching Quinjet._ "

Kara looked around, and spotted the aircraft, a couple of miles away. She raced to meet it, patiently waiting as it switched to VTOL mode and opened up. She stepped inside, surprised to find it empty.

"Where's the Captain?" -she asked, as she secured Sue against one of the spare seats. She fished some handcuffs out of an equipment rack, and locked her charge's wrist and the crash bar above her together.

" _Captain Rogers and Mr. Stark are locked in combat with two unidentified individuals, approximately three miles south of this position._ "

"Got'cha. Watch over her, will you?" -she said, getting ready to jump out again.

" _Of course._ "

Kara took off, heading towards the action at her top speed. It took maybe half a minute to reach her teammates, but Kara took extra time to survey the area and make sure nobody was hurt or in need of assistance. Satisfied, she focused on the fight.

Rogers was clearly having trouble. His fighting style was probably meant for smaller, _softer_ targets, and the huge, orange... _thing_ he was fighting was precisely none of those things. Still, he was doing a fine job of keeping the stone man busy.

Stark, on the other hand, had already managed to keep the flaming man grounded and pinned down, hovering above and bombarding his cover - abandoned cars and concrete dividers, mostly.

Deciding the Captain could most use her help, she swooped in.

" _Incoming_!" -she shouted, and delivered the mother of all sucker punches to the rocky creature, Rogers scrambling to roll out of the way.

The hit connected with his chin, sending the Enhanced flying, bits of rock left behind in his wake. Kara looked at the debris, horrified, but was relieved to see the man's strange 'skin' grow back within seconds - not with the same material, but with bits of loose _pavement_ and _gravel_. He rose right back, and roared at them. Kara idly noted that his face was surprisingly expressive.

The man grabbed a large, nearby rock and tossed it at them, but Kara simply floated up and caught it, returning the favor. He crossed his arms in front of him, and took the hit, no problem.

"We don't have to fight." -Kara said. "I know you guys don't want to hurt anybody."

He ignored her. Instead, he bellowed in anger, and leaped at her with surprising speed, bringing down his clasped hands on her head and sending her hurtling to the ground. The fall was small, maybe twenty feet, but the impact still sent up a shower of asphalt into the air. Kara shook her head, dazed; she'd _felt_ that one. It felt like hitting her forehead against her mother's, when she'd been a toddler - mostly disorienting, only ever so briefly painful.

A massive hand easily encircled her, digging her out of her small crater, but before the man could do much more than squeeze her midsection, Cap's shield bounced against his wrist, shattering it. He grunted in pain and opened his hand, which Kara took advantage of, landing a quick uppercut, which staggered him, and then a powerful knee to his midsection, causing him to double over.

Kara scowled, realizing he didn't have a shock collar like Sue's - or any clothing at all, for that matter. "What are they holding against you?" -she demanded, but the rock man didn't answer. He tried to rise, but Kara punched him right back down, stronger this time.

"What do you mean?" -Cap asked her, walking up to her, warily eyeing the seemingly unconscious man. "You said they didn't want to hurt anybody, how did you know?"

"I was trapped back there by this girl who could...well, it sounds crazy, but she could turn invisible, and create these nearly invisible barriers out of thin air." -she explained, pointing back north. "She said her name was Sue, and implied they were all being _forced_ into this. Must be true, because as soon as I defeated her, the shock collar around her neck blew up."

" _Shock collar_?" -he asked, outraged. "Did she…?"

"She's alive. A little weak from overusing her powers, I'd wager, but otherwise fine."

" _Seeing as how you both seem to have forgotten how to use your comms,_ " -Stark said, walking up to them, " _I took the liberty of listening in on your conversation with Sue._ " -he said, the golden faceplate suddenly lifting. "Kara's right; Sue and the human torch back there were receiving a signal of some kind. You got to her before I could figure out how to block it, but I managed to keep whoever's behind this from blowing up these two."

Kara looked back to the other Enhanced; he was also unconscious, entangled in a set of thin metal cables. "Won't those melt when he wakes up?" -she asked. The man's skin now looked like barely glowing cinders, the fiery aura completely absent.

Stark shook his head. "That's a tungsten alloy. Unless he can get, oh, about three times hotter than he's been so far, they'll keep him tied down."

"What about him?" -she asked, crossing her arms and looking at the rocky pile of a man at her feet. "This guy is _really strong_."

"Not stronger than you, clearly." -Rogers said, placing his shield on his back. "I have to say, I felt kind of obsolete there, for a second." -he joked.

Kara shook her head. "If you hadn't kept him busy, I wouldn't have been able to surprise him like that. And I'd have been in a lot more trouble if you hadn't forced him to drop me."

Stark rolled his eyes. "If you two are done with the pep talk, we should get these guys back to the Tower."

"We're not gonna wait for S.H.I.E.L.D.?" -Kara wondered.

"No need. We can hold them there, no problem. Plus, I don't exactly trust Fury with young, impressionable super-people." -he said, smirking.

Kara snorted. "Subtle, that one." -she retorted. "But, I don't disagree. I think I was getting through to Sue, anyway."

"At this rate, you're gonna end up recruiting someone before Cap does."

Rogers sighed, long-suffering. "This is _not_ a competition, Tony."

"Do you ever _not_ suck the fun out of every situation you're in?"

"I swear to God, Stark, if you're gonna start an argument on our _first mission_ …"

Kara groaned. "Alright, you two: I have no clue why you two just _love_ getting on each other's nerves, but this is neither the time nor the place. Save it for later; people are starting to gawk."

Indeed, a crowd had begun to gather around their impromptu battlefield, taking pictures and talking amongst themselves. Stark gave them a little wave, smirking, and even Rogers spared a little smile for those assembled. The crowd pointed to the sky in surprise, as their Quinjet began to hover down for a landing. Satisfied, Kara bent down and grabbed the rock man's shoulder to lift him.

 _All in all_ , she thought, _I think we did alright_.

She didn't notice the young man with salt and pepper hair in the crowd of onlookers, walking away with a grim expression.

* * *

 **I realize that this is a very different interpretation for the Fantastic Four, but bear with me. At the risk of sounding fairly egotistical, I think it's an interesting take, while still keeping with the themes and traits that make those characters recognizable. It's gonna feel weird for a while, but I promise it'll be worth it.**


	12. Chapter 12

"I'm telling you, you don't need it."

"And _I'm_ telling you, without this, I'm not staying on. I won't lie; fighting alongside you guys was a good thing. But I... _we_ need the assurance, Tony, I'm sorry."

Kara frowned as she walked into the kitchen for a snack, famined after a couple of hours of watching over a still unconscious Sue. Stark was there, still suited up for some reason, holding his helmet under his left arm. There was someone else; a shorter, haggard, graying man, wearing large glasses and _ridiculously_ loose clothing. The newcomer was in the process of brewing tea at the stovetop, and startled a bit when she walked in.

Stark nodded at her. "Hey Kara. How are our guests?"

She pursed her lips. "Still down for the count. Vitals are strong, though." -she said, taking a seat at the island in the middle of the kitchen. "I don't think we've met yet." -she told the man.

He shook his head. "Not yet, no. I'm Doctor Bruce Banner."

"Kara Zor-El. Or Danvers, whichever works best in conversation." -she said, extending her hand. He shook it, gingerly.

"You're the Supergirl I've been hearing so much about, right?"

She nodded. "Did you come to check on the patients? I don't think they'll be violent, if that helps."

He cocked his head, confused. Stark snorted. "Bruce isn't that kind of doctor, Kara. That's what Helen Cho is flying in from Seoul for."

"I, uh...also wasn't talking about that kind of assurance. Not exactly worried about what people can do to _me_. Quite the opposite, in fact." -Banner explained. "I'm the Hulk."

Understanding dawned on Kara's expression. " _Oh_! I am _so_ sorry. I guess I should've paid more attention in school, huh?" -she said, embarrassed. "Your name was probably on half the biology tests I've ever taken. I just never, y'know, connected it to your face."

Banner smiled, good-naturedly. "That's ok. I think most people haven't connected the dots yet on my relation to the Other Guy, either. Besides, I've been told my face is really hard to remember."

Kara hummed, mollified. "So, you're staying with us, then? Will you keep being an Avenger?"

"Well, that's really up to Tony." -he said. "I don't mean to impose, billionaire or not, but I _do_ have certain...conditions I'd like him to meet."

"Like what?" -she asked, then coughed. "Er, if it's not rude to ask."

Banner shook his head. "Don't worry, you're fine."

Stark sighed. "He wants me to create a _countermeasure_ to the Hulk. In case he goes rogue, he says. Which is kind of ridiculous, considering half the city owes their lives to the guy, myself included."

"It's still a very _real_ possibility, and you should _absolutely_ account for it. Even the Hulk agrees." -Banner declared, then amended, sheepish. "Well, for the most part."

Kara raised an eyebrow, picking up an apple from the fruit basket. "Wait, so...you and the Hulk are separate people?"

"It's a little more complicated than that." -he admitted. "It's like a Venn diagram; he and I are _very_ different in the way we act and think, but there's still very distinctive elements we share. For example, I have _legitimate_ anger management issues. The Hulk, on the other hand, can understand every bit as much science as I can." -he said, then shrugged, sheepish. "He just doesn't care much for any of it."

She pondered the information, munching on the apple. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but it's kind of _fascinating_." -she said. "Don't get me wrong; I understand why you'd be apprehensive, but still."

"You're not afraid of him?" -he asked, a small but present twinkle in his eyes.

Kara shook her head. "Should I be?"

Banner hummed. "I'm not sure. They _do_ say you're pretty strong. How strong are we talking, here?" -he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I honestly couldn't tell you. I sort of...broke every test S.H.I.E.L.D. threw at me." -she said, blushing.

Tony smirked at Banner's awe-struck expression. "Kinda makes me want to see an arm-wrestling competition between you two. Maybe throw in Thor, if he ever shows up again."

"I bet he'd love that." -Banner said, fondly.

"I'm _definitely_ up for it. It's really exciting to be around people I don't have to fear breaking." -Kara eagerly said.

Stark gave Banner an _I told you so_ kind of look. "See? Even _if_ the Hulk were to go a little off-script, and even _if_ Thor was on the other side of the galaxy, we have Kara now. Nothing to fear, buddy."

Banner seemed to shrink a little. "I hope you don't mind me saying it, Kara, but I wouldn't leave it all to you." -he said. " _You_ of all people should understand, Tony. Don't you have, like, forty modular armor designs ready to go, 'just in case' some hyper-specific problem arises? What if Supergirl can't shut the Hulk down quickly enough? What if _he_ beats _her_? There _has_ to be a contingency."

"I don't think that rabbit hole leads anywhere good, Bruce. Say I build this...' _Hulkbuster_ ' armor. Say you _somehow_ manage to defeat Kara. I come in, kick your ass a bunch, then what?"

Banner grimaced, turning off the stove. "You do what you need to do to keep people safe."

Stark scoffed. "You're asking me to create a way to kill you, pal. That's not something I'll ever do, even _if_ the Hulk turns on us."

Kara cleared her throat. "I think it's a good idea." -she said. "This 'Hulkbuster' concept, I mean. If I were ever made to do bad things, I'd want to be stopped, too."

Stark frowned at her. She held her hand up before he could protest, looking at Bruce. " _However_ , there's really no need to talk about putting you down. Even the Hulk has his limits, right?"

Banner grumbled. "If he does, I don't know them."

"So, let's discover them. I can help, Doctor Banner. I don't mind sparring with your alter ego. Especially if it means you find some peace of mind."

The deceptively frail-looking man seemed to consider this, his eyebrows drawn together in thought. He poured himself a cup of tea, and offered another to each of them. Stark declined, but Kara accepted hers, immediately downing half of the scalding liquid.

"Okay." -Banner said, finally. "We'll design it together."

Stark grudgingly nodded. "I _guess_ getting to say 'Iron Man smash!' is worth it."

She smiled. "This'll be fun, guys! You'll see!"

"You are _entirely_ too happy about the idea of getting pummeled by the Hulk." -Stark said, amused. "I'll leave you two to whatever it is the strongest people on Earth do in their free time. I gotta go meet Obama about a thing."

He slipped on the helmet, which secured itself around his head, then walked out of the kitchen. Soon enough, the sound of jet boosters rumbled outside the Tower.

Banner spared a small smile for her gaping self. "So, what _does_ the strongest person on the planet do in her free time?"

Kara snorted. "I don't know about you, but _I_ eat. _Rao_ , I'm starving."

He laughed. "I definitely get what you mean. Brunch?"

" _Definitely_ brunch."


	13. Chapter 13

Brunch was surprisingly fun; she and Bruce hit a nearby deli shop _incognito_ and ordered the most monstrously caloric meals they could find. Doctor Banner was a surprisingly fun conversationalist, all wry humor and sarcastic jabs. It wasn't hard to notice the undercurrent of depression and self-destructive tendencies - and she'd be asking Stark about Avenger policy regarding psych evals and counseling going forward - but the doctor seemed to have things handled, for the time being.

She learned that he was fresh off a three-month long stay in India, following a globe-trotting escape caused by his fight in Harlem a while back. He also revealed that the woman he claimed to be the love of his life had recently married someone else. He also said that, before becoming host to the Hulk, he'd gotten 7 PhD's.

Kara was fairly sure that said as much about his ability to plan a career as it did about his enormous intellect.

In return, she'd answered some of his questions about Krypton. She wasn't really ready to talk about its destruction at length, but she _could_ talk about their culture. She talked about the feeling of Rao's Light on her skin, about Krypton's rivalry with its sister planet Daxam, about life as an heir to the Noble House of El. She remembered the joy she'd felt at Kal-El's birth, and the sorrow that had followed Astra and Non's exile.

By midday, the two returned to the Tower for a debriefing session with Rogers. The Captain was waiting for them in the conference room, still in-uniform.

"Doctor Banner." -he greeted, offering a hand. "I'm glad you decided to stay on."

Bruce smiled wryly, shaking it. "Well, from what I hear, you guys are a little understaffed at the moment."

"Hopefully not for too long. Might be we get a certain arachnid-themed partner soon, right Kara?" -he asked, crossing his arms.

Kara blanched. "Um...I can explain?" -she said, meekly.

Rogers shook his head. "No need, I watched yesterday's news. I'm _not_ happy you and Stark decided to go behind my back on this." -he said, then sighed a bit. "That being said, I _do_ trust that you know what you're doing. I'm pretty sure Spider-Man's been avoiding me, anyway; if you're the one who can actually get through to him, then that's just how it is."

Kara nodded. "Do you still want me to offer him a spot on the team?"

"If he'd be okay with that, sure. If not, just let him know he has our full support."

"Got it."

Rogers grabbed his belt buckle. Kara couldn't picture a more representative image of authority than that. "Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about our guests."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "Did they wake up? Is Sue still invisible?"

"She is. Ben woke up, and so did Johnny, but he's not willing to talk unless his sister is present." -he said. "I think you were right, Kara. These guys are good people put in a bad spot. Ben didn't know much about their circumstances, and he wouldn't tell me how they got their powers, but he did defend the rest of the gang - even offered to take full responsibility for their actions, just so they could go free."

Banner frowned. "Are we keeping prisoners now?"

Rogers shook his head. "It's not like that, Doctor. They can go whenever they want. I asked them to stay until Doctor Cho arrived and we'd made sure things were safe for them."

The doctor hummed, backing down for the moment. "I could get started on analyzing their vitals. I might not be that kind of doctor, but I can still interpret their results, see if it tells us more about their powers' origin."

Rogers nodded, then looked pointedly at Kara. "I'll stay with Sue while you do that. I'm sure she'll talk to me once she wakes up." -she said.

* * *

" _Ow_." -Sue said softly, suddenly reappearing.

Kara looked up from her phone, nearly floating from the surprise. "Oh! You're awake!" -she exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

Sue swallowed thickly, prompting Kara to hand her a glass of water. "I...feel kinda foggy. Hard to keep myself visible."

She nodded. "That'd be the power dampeners in the room. I think Stark said it's a mild nerve agent he came up with. It's not harmful to humans, but it makes it harder to concentrate enough for you to effectively use your powers."

She pondered this. "That's smart. I bet you're immune to it, too."

"Yup. It just smells a little funny to me. Like coconut and rust."

Sue spared a smile, then winced. "My head is _killing_ me. My neck hurts a bunch, too."

"Well, that's definitely on me. There's the punch, obviously, and then I panicked because of the bomb. Should've ripped that collar off and thrown it into the stratosphere, but I wasn't fast enough. I'm very sorry, Sue."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. At least I still have a head, right?"

Kara nodded carefully. "You appear to, yes."

"I've never had a force field fail before." -she confessed, sipping on her water. Kara got the distinct impression that this wasn't the first time she'd been in this position. "They've thrown everything at me, y'know? Bullets, missiles, grenades...even a tank shell, once. And you just... _punched_ it right open."

"I'm sorry that knocked you out." -Kara said, sheepish. "I should've thought it through a little more."

"You saved my life, Supergirl. Let's leave it at that."

She nodded. "Please, call me Kara, Sue. Kara Danvers."

"Susan Storm. Sue will do." -she said, offering a small smile. "I thought you were going by your alien name?"

Kara shrugged. "I'm still trying things out. Hard to pick between my families, y'know?"

Sue nodded, a little haunted. "What about the others? Johnny and Ben, are they okay?"

"They're fine. A little more beat up than you, but they're up and about, a few rooms over."

Sue looked around the place, half containment cell, half hospital room. "Where are we?"

"Avengers Tower. We're waiting for a doctor to come in and give you the all-clear."

The bedridden blonde nodded, then closed her eyes, exhausted. "They told us we might see you there, y'know? The Avengers...this thing was too high profile for you to ignore."

"Who's 'they'? And why risk something like this, if they knew that?"

Sue winced. "I don't know any specific names. None of us do but Reed. As for your other question...I don't think they knew what to expect from you. Iron Man going around, blowing bad guys up is one thing; a _team_ of people like him? That's new. That's _dangerous_."

Kara raised an eyebrow. That's not how she would've put it, but it could be an advantage. "Who's Reed?"

"He's my boyfriend. Reed Richards. I guess you could say he's our leader. Or at least, he's the only one the people behind all this will talk to."

"Why isn't he now with the other two? Ben and Johnny, right?"

"That's right. Jonathan Storm is my brother, and Ben Grimm is a good friend of my boyfriend's. Reed's power is very useful, but it doesn't really keep him from being hurt, like ours. Besides, his real strength is his mind, so he hangs back while we do the jobs."

Kara crossed her arms. "How and when did you get these powers?"

"It's a long story." -Sue warned.

"I've got time. Got nowhere to be until sunset."

She sighed. "Alright. Do you...know anything about cosmic energy?"

Kara shook her head. Sue nodded, like she'd expected that. "It's barely recognized as a theory by the scientific community, much less widely accepted, or even known."

The blonde smiled fondly. "Reed's always had a mind for science. It's why I fell in love with him, y'know? Late nights crunching numbers to cheap ramen and _Cosmos_ on the background; however, the knowledge he deals with is...well, it's what most people would consider 'fringe science'. The kind of hypotheses that get you laughed off a stage, no matter how much evidence you present."

"Are you talking about, like, cryptids or something?" -Kara asked.

Sue scowled. "No, nothing like that. It's...concepts that science hasn't been able to really explain yet, but are well documented so they're impossible to deny. One of these things is cosmic energy; sort of a catch-all term for a 'power' that's behind mysteries ranging from why and how dark matter is a thing, how wormholes are created, what sparked the Big Bang...you get the idea."

Kara hummed. "And your boyfriend thought he'd solved the mystery?"

"He _did_ solve the mystery. Or, at least, confirmed the existence of, and was able to measure this type of energy." -she said, proud. "Reed's been obsessed with the concept ever since he saw a Rose-Einstein bridge as a kid."

Seeing Kara's confusion, she rolled her eyes. "Thor's preferred method of transportation? Bifröst?" -she asked, then sighed when Kara failed to get it anyway. "The rainbow bridge, Supergirl."

"Oh. Yeah, I saw the video."

"Right. So, Reed was present for one of the Asgardians' earlier visits, fifteen years or so ago. No idea who it was, or what they came here for, but Reed saw it happen: a wormhole, right before his eyes. Science couldn't explain it yet - and it still can't, really, no matter how much Thor's girlfriend might want to say otherwise - but Reed developed this theory along the years that another, unknown force was at play. He spent years trying to prove it, crafting the theory, but...well, he couldn't gather any evidence. No one would support his experiments, and he eventually ran out of money and patience."

"Then, " -Sue shuddered a bit, "he met Victor."

"What's wrong?" -Kara asked.

"Something is _seriously_ wrong with him. I've only ever seen him once, and it's still disturbing to think about. I know I scare a little easy, but that man is _horrible_. Tall, handsome, well-spoken, but...something in his eyes makes my guts twist whenever I see him." -she explained, hugging herself. "Victor...he heard of Reed's research. He had a similar theory, and he was willing to fund some _serious_ experiments."

"Like what?"

The blonde sat up a bit. "Do you remember how New Mexico tried - and miserably failed - to explain away Puente Antiguo?"

"Thor's fight with the Destroyer, right? They tried to say a satellite had fallen on the town, but there were too many witnesses talking, not to mention all the videos already out."

Sue nodded. "Kind of a PR disaster, but there _was_ some truth to the lie. A small space station _did_ fall to Earth that day, with _us_ inside."

Kara's eyebrows shot up. "The rainbow bridge." -she gasped. "You were up there studying Bifröst."

A small, proud smile blossomed on her face. "Yeah, we were. Victor is _insanely_ rich. Don't ask me how or where he got the money, but he launched that station disguised as three separate satellites, and eventually put us in orbit."

The Kryptonian frowned. "Thor was on Earth for barely a month before New York. How did he manage that?"

Sue shook her head. "I honestly don't know. Reed said Victor had somehow _predicted_ it, but he didn't believe it, and neither do I. The point is, Victor put us _way_ too close to the wormhole, and the surrounding cosmic energy struck us. We managed to pack into the escape pod before the station fell, but we'd already been... _changed_." -she said, bitter. "Reed and I have tried everything we could think of, but our conditions are irreversible. I'll have to constantly think about not turning invisible the rest of my life. My brother will never be able to touch anyone without burning them. And Ben? _God_ , I feel so terrible for him; he can't feel anything so almost everything he touches breaks."

Kara pursed her lips. She was glad they'd survived, but to change so drastically…"I know it's not the same, but...I sort of understand what you went through."

"What do you mean?" -Sue asked, skeptical.

"I wasn't always this strong." -Kara confessed. "Back on Krypton, I was more or less the same as a regular human. My species was genetically modified to adapt to new environments, so when I arrived here, I _changed_. Every little move I made usually ended with me breaking something, I'd start floating all of a sudden...my foster parents and Alex - my sister - tried their best, but it was rough, without anyone like me to help me get through it. I know your situation is much worse than mine, but...at least you have people around you who _really_ get it."

Sue looked down at her hands. She turned invisible, leaving only the somewhat comical image of a floating hospital gown and bedsheets. "You're right; it's not the same. You still get to look like you. Whatever people say about you, the one thing they can't hold against you is your appearance." -she said, tired. Kara winced, but Sue reappeared with a small smile on her face. "That being said...the hell I've been through has been a little bit more bearable knowing my loved ones are with me, every step of the way. And now that you guys saved us from it, I'm ready to pay it forward." -she said, resolute.

Kara nodded, serious. "Who are we going after?"

Sue faltered, but didn't stop herself. "The name of their project is _Scolopendra_. I'm not sure how many targets there are and, like I said, only Reed knows the names." -she admitted. "I do know where we can find out more about them, though."

The blonde pointed out the room, to the New York skyline visible from the room. Kara scowled, instantly recognizing the obsidian monolith in the distance. She'd been inside the day before, after all.

Lena was going to have a _lot_ of explaining to do.

* * *

 **Hints, hints, more hints. I swear this is all building up to something coherent.**


	14. Chapter 14

"Let's review what we know." -Rogers began, a holographic representation of their findings filling the briefing room. Stark, Banner, and Kara were present. She'd invited Winn, but he'd declined.

"An organization called Project _Scolopendra_ \- latin for 'centipede' - coerced a quartet of Enhanced individuals into an attempt to steal from a Damage Control vehicle. Why?"

"Alien tech, fresh off the street." -Banner suggested.

"What _exactly_ was that truck hauling?" -Kara asked.

Rogers brought up the cargo manifest. "Seventy-two blaster rifles, five explosive devices, a single intact hover-speeder, two dozen assorted armor pieces, and two sets of Chitauri remains."

Stark frowned. "One of those things is not like the others." -he said. "The stiffs shouldn't have been on the same truck."

Kara grimaced. " _Ugh_. Please don't call them that."

He rolled his eyes. " _Fine_. The _fallen enemy combatants_ should have been loaded into a boat and sent to a secluded, offshore S.H.I.E.L.D. bio-research lab, _not_ the Triskelion. For all we know, those things wake up and try to finish the mission."

"Says here it was a logistics issue." -Rogers read. "Guess they didn't fit in the boat."

"Uh-huh." -Stark said. "Still weird. What else we got?"

"Sue mentioned a guy named Victor bankrolling the research mission that ended up causing them to manifest superpowers." -Kara said.

"I know a few rich Victors." -Stark said. "Just one who might have that kind of cash, though. JARVIS, please bring up Victor Von Doom's profile."

Kara snorted. "Are you _serious_? He might as well be called Evil McBadguy."

"I doubt the crown prince of Latveria cares." -Stark said, presenting the image of a tall, handsome young man, dark haired and green-eyed. Kara's jaw nearly hit the floor. "That hilariously inappropriate last name happens to be exclusive to Latverian royalty. He used to have a presumably normal romani name, but he took on his bloodline's once he realized he was meant for the crown."

"How do you know him?" -Rogers asked, suspicious.

Stark ignored the look. "Latveria might be tiny, and still stuck with a monarchy, but their technological exports are through the roof. They're top three in robotics _alone_. Victor's at the forefront of their tech innovations, so he's made _bank_ over the last half decade." -he said. "He...also used to be one of Stark Industries' under-the-table clients. Stane sold him a bunch of surplus weapons, which he, in turn, sold to every so-called freedom fighter in Eastern Europe who could afford them. Iron Man is _persona non-grata_ in, like, _Sokovia_ thanks entirely to him." -he admitted, annoyed.

"Why's he at large, then?" -Rogers asked, crossing his arms.

"I tracked the weapons back to Latveria last year. Confronted him with the suit and everything, but he said his men had legally 'secured them' during a border inspection." -he said, defeated. "I _hate_ my former father figure."

Kara and Banner shared a look. "... _right_." -Steve awkwardly muttered. "Any idea why he would finance Reed Richards' research?"

"Sue made it sound like he was into the same fringe science as Reed." -Kara pointed out.

Stark snorted. "Whatever else he might be, Doom is _not_ a crackpot theorist. That man is _dangerously_ intelligent. Placing Reed's team so close to the Bifröst? Not a mistake."

"Are you saying he purposely gave them their abilities?"

"I'm saying it's very, _very_ unlikely any of that was an accident."

Rogers crossed his arms. "So, we have someone who can reliably produce superpowered individuals partnered up with an organization that wants to recreate the Super Soldier Serum."

"How did S.H.I.E.L.D. miss all of this?" -Banner wondered. "They knew what my lunch was going to be before _I_ decided."

"Maybe they didn't." -Stark suggested, darkly amused. "They've always had a hard-on for superhuman enhancement; maybe they just wanted to see how this panned out."

"Speaking of, how do we think OsCorp figures into this?" -Kara asked.

Rogers raised an eyebrow. "You tell us, Kara. You talked to Miss Luthor, did she seem like she might be involved with Project Centipede?"

Kara surprised herself by how quickly she shook her head. "Lena's...a lot of things, but an unscrupulous scientist? I don't think so. I don't think she was lying to me. She didn't seem to know anything."

"Well, OsCorp is a huge, multinational operation. It's entirely possible that a covert cell within it could be acting without her knowledge." -Stark said. "Still, I think we should pay old Norman a visit. If any of the higher-ups know about Centipede, it'll be him. Crazy old bastard couldn't bear not knowing every little detail about his company."

"Think he'll even see us? Lena made it sound like his death was imminent."

Stark snorted. "Us? No. _You_? If he's conscious, definitely. He always _was_ a sucker for blondes."

"Gross." -she said.

Everyone nodded. "For sure." -Stark agreed. "Still, it's our best chance to figure out his involvement. If he's as messed up as advertised, getting information out of him should be a piece of cake."

"And if he won't talk?"

"Then we storm OsCorp." -Stark said. "Sue's story checks out. I had JARVIS analyze the remains of her collar, as well as the devices implanted within the other two. Some of the components are patented OsCorp tech - the kind that you can't exactly buy off store shelves. This alone is reason enough for S.H.I.E.L.D. to intervene. Or rather, _us_ on behalf of them."

"Is that really the best idea?" -Rogers asked. "I know I'm playing Devil's advocate here, but bringing in S.H.I.E.L.D. would legitimize the mission better than just our word against OsCorp's."

"Well, one, we know they're involved in a very negative way. Don't really care how it looks to people, this is something we have to do anyway." -he shrugged. "Second...I'm strictly against involving Fury's goons any more than is strictly necessary."

"You really don't trust them at all, do you?" -Rogers asked, disappointed. "I would've thought you'd care a bit more about Howard and Peggy's organization."

Stark soured. "I'm gonna level with you, Rogers: I'm sure you and dad were the best of pals back in the forties, but nineties Howard was an _asshole_. Drunk half the time, absent the rest...if it wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D., it was a lead on your location, or some other project I never knew of. And sure, I love Aunt Peggy like a second mother, but she's always been willing to overlook a _lot_ of things about S.H.I.E.L.D. that _I_ can't look past. If I told you the amount of shady shit JARVIS found just by tapping into the Helicarrier's databanks...well. I'd be surprised if you didn't march up to the Triskelion and started tearing it down brick by brick."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. _does_ do some great things, Captain. Just look at how quickly they cleared up New York!" -Kara said. "It's just...even my sister wonders how many darker secrets there are under the hood. You can't have an organization that large and powerful without a _big_ downside."

"We're veering a little off-topic, guys." -Banner reminded them. "Project Centipede now, shady government agencies later."

Rogers nodded, snapping out of his growing frown. "We need to know more about them before we can plan the strike. Kara, you have someone on the inside, right?"

"Spider-Man does. They're an intern in the bio-science division." -she said.

Stark popped a USB out of his jacket pocket and offered it to her. "Say hello to baby JARVIS. Well, it's a portable subroutine of his that'll link to the mainframe here as soon as it's downloaded into an OsCorp computer. It should work a lot better than whatever Spidey was trying yesterday."

Kara took it. "OsCorp's gonna be on lockdown after our little visit. How are they gonna get this on a PC?"

"Well, do you have a better idea?" -Stark asked.

She pursed her lips. "I think...I think I'd like to give this to Lena. She owes me, and it'll be a lot less dangerous for her than for a fifteen-year old intern."

Rogers and Stark shared a small, unspoken conversation. "If you think you can trust her with this, then go for it. We trust you, Kara." -Rogers assured her.

"Besides, if she screws us over, we'll know for sure we need to take her down." -Stark cheerfully added.

"...of course." -Kara nodded, unconvincing.

The Captain waved the data away. "We'll wait on you, then. Dismissed."

Banner and Rogers filed out of the room, but Stark turned back at the door. "Having second thoughts already, huh?" -he asked her, leaning on the metal frame.

Kara pursed her lips, examining the portable drive. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you kept blushing every time Miss Luthor was mentioned. I'm guessing you're a little more hesitant about meeting her again than you let on."

"Maybe so." -she managed. "It's complicated."

"You and Luthor had a _thing_ , didn't you?" -he asked, amused.

Kara blushed furiously. Stark smirked. "I saw her name in your file, right before your suddenly and _inexplicably_ truncated college education."

"I...we...I thought we had something." -she admitted. " _Everyone_ did. Winn was so sick of us, y'know? He said he couldn't stand us flirting all the time. My own _sister_ kept suggesting we get a room. Clearly, I'm not as good at understanding human relationships as I thought I was. I gathered up some courage and told her I liked her, but...well, let's just say she did _not_ care for my confession."

Stark winced. "Oof. That's rough. It checks out with her upbringing, I guess. Sounds like she liked you back, but probably wasn't emotionally equipped to deal with her own feelings after so many years hearing the hateful crap her step-dad spews every day."

"That's _very_ specific."

"You're looking at someone whose dad spent the sixties inventing new and exciting ways to repress hippie-kind. Young Tony Stark had _feels_ , as the kids say."

She smiled sadly. "Believe me, I get it. It hurt like hell, but I understand why she reacted that way. Working for Jameson a single year was _awful_. Can't imagine sharing a roof with him since childhood."

"The guy can't talk about liberals without popping multiple blood vessels. I'm guessing lesbian crushes were a big no-no in _casa de_ Jonah."

Kara huffed. "I never understood that about Earth. Kryptonian bonds were pre-arranged from birth, according to social echelon and genetic potential. _I_ never had a say on who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I was slated to marry a thrice-damned _Daxamite_ , _just_ because he was my best genetic match. Can you _believe_ that?" -she said, frustrated. Stark gave her a blank look, but she ignored it. "You humans have no such obligations, and _still_ you can't bring yourselves to look past prejudice."

"You're right, Kara." -he said. "It sucks, and we're slow to change, but things _are_ getting better. What's more, we're in a pretty good position to help change along."

"You really think so?"

" _Hell_ yeah. Shit, out of all of us, I'm pretty sure Banner is the only one who's _actually_ straight. And _that's_ counting the Hulk." -he joked. "The Avengers could do some _serious_ PR work to counter the hateful message of people like Jameson. And not just LGBT stuff; there's _tons_ of causes out there we could get on board with."

Stark's eyes lit up in an epiphany. "Holy _shit_ , I know _exactly_ what your day job is gonna be." -he breathed out.

Kara giggled at his excitement. "My day job, huh? What's that?"

"You're fun, down to Earth, and most importantly, young enough to understand what the hell a Vine is!" -he said, amused. "How'd you like to be the Avengers' official social media manager?"


	15. Chapter 15

**The longest chapter yet. Kara and Spidey take to the streets of New York after dark.**

 **Content Warning: Implied (but averted) rape attempt**

* * *

"I have a job again!" -she announced, as soon as Peter stepped into view, already halfway naked and pulling out the new suit from his backpack.

"You mean _besides_ being one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes?" -he asked, amused. "What's the job?"

Kara smirked. "I am now the Avengers' Social Media Manager." -she proudly stated, floating down to show him her phone.

Peter shimmied into a very loose-fitting suit. Before Kara could do more than raise an eyebrow, he tapped the spider symbol on his chest, and it immediately contracted. Like before, it fit perfectly.

"Should I be looking at this while unmasked?" -he asked, dubious, reaching for that very object.

"Don't worry, Tony made sure this phone could never be intervened. You should be safe from bored NSA agents." -she waved his worry away. "Look at what I've got so far."

Peter slipped on the mask and scrolled through the various apps. " _Nice_. How'd you manage to claim the 'Avengers' handle on every major social media platform?"

"I asked JARVIS to get them for me." -she shrugged. "I tried to ask nicely, but none of them would do it."

"So you just sicced an all-powerful artificial intelligence on them, huh? _Cool_."

Kara snorted. " _Weird_. I could've sworn Rogers shaked his head, put his knuckles to his hips, and called it 'cyber-bullying'."

Spider-Man chuckled. "So, you ready to patrol the _shit_ out of New York?"

Kara smirked. "Are you always so pumped about the prospect of facing dangerous criminals and missing out on half your recommended sleep hours?"

" _Obviously_."

"Then yes, Spider-Man. Let's do this."

* * *

The first hour of their patrol was like something out of a huge comic book crossover.

Exhibit one: Kara spotted a mugger who'd cornered a rather bored looking middle-aged man.

She landed behind him, tapped the man's shoulder, and grabbed the knife as he tried to blindly stab her. The blade, of course, bent between her fingers, making the man pale as she dropped the crumpled-up weapon. Then, Spidey landed beside her, bound his hands together, and bowed like he'd served her a particularly delicious dish.

She smiled, and told the now mildly amused victim that he was free to go. He muttered his thanks, and walked away.

After hauling the would-be robber to the nearest police precinct - alone, as Spider-Man was _technically_ a criminal through the power of vigilantism - she took to the skies again, where she quickly met back up with the web-slinger.

* * *

"Do you ever think about losing the mask?" -Kara asked him, carefully biting a burrito she'd charmed the attendant at Chipotle into overstuffing.

Peter generously applied some extra salsa verde on his beef fajita taco. "Sometimes, I guess. It's not like I _can_ , I'd be next to useless in a fight without the ability to tune out things with the lenses, but...well, people are a _bit_ slower to trust someone they can't look in the eye."

Kara hummed, thoughtfully. "I was talking to Cap about the fight with the Chitauri yesterday. Said no one would listen to him at first - they thought he was just some nut job in a costume, y'know?" -she said, her boot-clad feet dangling off the steel beam they sat on. "Only when he took the helmet off did people really start hearing him out."

"Cap's a celebrity, though." -he pointed out. "There's no confusing that face."

"I guess that's true." -she admitted. "Makes him easier to evade, huh Peter?"

He - well, his chin - blushed. "You know about that?"

"If it makes you feel any better, he's not mad about it. Just a little disappointed."

Parker sighed. "I've been at this for six months. The worst I've had to deal with was an attempted murderer I caught in the act." -he said, then pointed at his ribs. "I got shanked three times before I could snap out of the shock."

" _Yikes_."

"I healed in like half an hour, don't worry." -he said. Kara, of course, continued to worry. "The point is, things had been kinda slow until _aliens_ dropped from the sky. And it's not like I didn't look at Iron Man and wish I could be _that_ awesome one day, I _did_. It's just...suddenly I had a team of secret agents looking for me twenty-four-seven, and an _actual superhero_ wanted to talk me into joining his team. I didn't know how to deal with that. I still don't."

Kara wrapped the remainder of her burrito. "Y'know, I think you might be putting the whole concept of superheroics on a pedestal, Peter. Think about it; by definition, being a superhero is just performing heroic feats with the help of powers or abilities that regular people don't have. You do all of that already, don't you?"

He shrugged, bashful. "Wouldn't everyone?"

She shook her head, resolute. " _No_. No, Peter, not everyone would do what you do in your place. Don't you remember? It's already happened. Obadiah Stane had an arguably more powerful suit than Tony did, two years ago. Did he use it to help people? _No_. He killed half a dozen people and injured a whole lot more in trying to get to Tony."

"Ivan Vanko was just as intelligent as Stark, and even managed to prove himself _smarter_ in some ways. Did he use his intellect in _any_ positive way? _No_. He almost assassinated Tony in the middle of Monaco, and caused the deaths of _dozens_ at the Stark Expo."

Peter visibly shrank, but Kara didn't stop.

"What about way back? Johann Schmidt had _basically_ the same powers as Steve does. He could've ended a _World War_. Did he, even for _one second_ , think about anyone but himself? _No_! He created _HYDRA_ , which was _too much_ for freakin' Hitler!" -she said, throwing her hands up.

"Alright, I get it, Kara! People _suck_." -he said, dejected.

"People _can_ suck." -she allowed. "But some don't. _You_ don't. I've seen what you can do, Peter. You could be breaking into, like, bank vaults with that strength and agility."

He snorted. "Don't be giving me ideas, alright? I'm _broke_."

Kara smiled. " _Instead_ , you're losing sleep, putting yourself in danger patrolling the city every night, trying to keep people safe." -she said. "So _no_ , Peter. Not everyone would do what you do with your powers. And the fact that you _do_? That's really all it takes to be a hero, buddy."

Peter munched quietly on the last of his food for quite a while. "...that was a hell of a pep talk, Kara."

"...oh _Rao_ , thank you." -she breathed out.

"For what?"

"I thought I'd messed it up, you were so quiet!"

"I mean, you gave me so much to think about! Plus, I'm _really_ hungry."

She chuckled. "You know, the Tower has this _amazing_ fully stocked kitchen…"

He groaned. " _Geez_ , you too, huh?"

"Just putting that out there. Cap asked me to." -she said, apologetic.

"...baby steps, Kara. Lemme sleep on it. Now, are you gonna finish that burrito?"

She clutched the tinfoil bundle possessively. "Of _course_ I am, who do you take me for? Hand over the salsa, Parker."

* * *

Exhibit two: a teenage girl in a _hijab_ was arguing with a couple of kids her age about her desire to wear the - apparently offensive - garment. Supergirl floated above them, causing gasps of wonder and surprise, and told them about her cape; how it was meant to represent the color of Rao's unblinking gaze, and how it reminded her of the home and culture she'd lost forever.

"Would you guys like to make fun of me for wearing my cape?"

The kids had rapidly shaken their heads, and run off. The girl - Kamala, she'd said - had thanked her profusely. Kara had then asked her for a selfie, effectively terminating her on the spot.

The photo was taken - Spidey photobombed it, of course - they said their goodbyes, and carried on with the patrol.

* * *

"Did you get some...I dunno, _vibe_ from that girl?" -Kara asked as they surveyed the alleyways beneath.

"'Vibe'? What do you mean?"

"Yeah, like...déjà vu, but for something that hasn't happened yet."

Peter blinked, looking away from his phone. "Uh... _no_. Is the burrito making you hallucinate? I _told_ you not to use so much salsa."

"You take that _back_ , Spidey. One can never have too much salsa."

" _So_ not the point."

"...yeah, alright, it was weird. Forget I said anything." -she shrugged awkwardly.

His bug-like eyes narrowed. "... _right_. I'll say this, though. She helped make for an _awesome_ first 'official' Avengers picture."

"Yes. Yes she did."

* * *

Unfortunately, the fun of the night could not last. Their next case happened just as the clock marked eleven-thirty, and started with a blood-curdling scream, heard from the corner of 9th and 50th - right in the middle of Hell's Kitchen.

" _Crap_." -Peter said, fingertips sticking to a brownstone. "That sounds awful."

"Where did it come from?"

They tried to listen for the source again, but neither one could pinpoint it. Peter cursed under his breath. "Keep a lookout for a man in a black outfit and mask. This is the Devil's turf, and he's got _much_ better hearing than I do."

Kara frowned. "The Devil?"

"Yeah, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Haven't you heard about him? You've heard about _me_." -Peter asked, surprised.

"I guess not. You know him?"

"I've helped him out a couple of times. He doesn't exactly _appreciate_ it, but...he hasn't kicked me out so far."

Shouts - male, this time - interrupted them, a lot closer than the last. They dove towards it, only to find a grim, ongoing scene when they turned into the alley.

A short, masked, athletic man in black clothes was in the process of beating the _crap_ out of a middle-aged man, to the point that blood spray would shoot towards the vigilante's hidden face with each hit.

" _Stop!_ " -Kara exclaimed. "You're going to kill him!"

The vigilante ignored her. She flew in and tried to shield the man, but Spider-Man got in her way, putting a palm to the shield on her chest. "What are you…?" -she asked, confused.

"Kara, the woman." -he answered, pointing beyond the fight. Kara looked, and her blood ran cold; a red-headed, pale young woman lied prone on the ground, unmoving.

Kara forgot all about the vigilante, rushing towards the woman. Kneeling down beside her, she was relieved to see that she still breathed, but her worry did not go away; far from it, since there was a sizable cut on her forehead, bleeding like crazy, and her top had been practically ripped off. She unclasped her cape from her shoulders, and gingerly enveloped the woman with it.

Peter landed beside her, tension obvious throughout his lithe frame. "The Devil says he knows a place we can take her." -he muttered, a hard edge to his normally cheerful voice.

Kara nodded, lifting the unconscious woman. "Where to?"

"Follow me." -a surprisingly civil man's voice said. Kara turned, and came face to face - well, face to mask - with the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. The mask was a simple piece of thick black cloth - not exactly the most reliable way to conceal an identity, she thought - and covered the entire upper half of his skull, eyes and all. His chin was covered in blood, spittle, and stubble. Kara looked down and forced herself to stare at the multiple rips and slashes on his rather simplistic disguise - most of them were wet with his own blood. His knuckles were the worst, literally _dripping_ crimson.

Kara hesitantly nodded, then gasped as the man vaulted his way to a second story fire escape, quickly making it to the roof. She and Peter spared a glance for the prone, beaten up man - barely alive, for the moment - and followed the brutal vigilante.

* * *

The Devil led them to a rather fancy loft, where a dark skinned woman in a nurse's outfit awaited them. "Set her on the bed." -she immediately ordered, sparing no time for pleasantries.

Kara did as she was asked, gently laying down the woman on the bed's silk sheets. The nurse basically shoved her out of the way - how she did that to a Kryptonian, Kara didn't know - and began going through the motions of first aid.

Some five minutes passed in tense silence, the two vigilantes respectfully staying outside the room. Kara helpfully supplied the unnamed nurse with antiseptic, gauze, and tape, as requested. She absently noted that the first aid kit was _way_ too well stocked to be anyone else's but the Devil's.

The woman sat, exhausted. "Well, she's lucky. No need for stitches on her cut, and the scratches and bruising on her arms and chest are minor." -she declared, handing Kara her bloodied cape.

She folded the soiled garment up. "Is she going to be alright?"

"Aside from the horrific trauma of attempted rape, you mean?" -she asked, caustic. " _Sure_."

Kara winced. "I didn't mean to belittle the situation. Sorry." -she said. "I was just worried she might have a concussion, or something else that might require we take her to an actual hospital."

The nurse sighed. "I know what you meant, Supergirl. It's just...this hits a little close to home." -she muttered. "We'll know for sure when she wakes up, but she doesn't show signs of anything more serious."

Kara nodded. "Thank you, miss…?"

"Temple. Claire Temple. I'd offer to look you over, but I'm pretty sure you're indestructible." -she said, mildly amused.

"So far, anyway. Thanks for coming so quickly."

Nurse Temple hummed. "Yeah, well. I might not have signed up for nursing vigilantes - and vigilante-adjacent people - back to health, but I _do_ keep coming back." -she admitted.

Kara laughed softly. "They _do_ seem to be magnets for trouble. How'd you meet the Devil of Hell's Kitchen?"

Claire scoffed. "Found him in my dumpster one night, almost out of blood and moaning in pain."

" _Yikes_."

"What? You'd be surprised at how many vigilantes you can find in dumpsters these days."

"That is _not_ what the 'yikes' was about."

Claire snorted. " _Right_. I guess I _have_ gotten a little _too_ used to the grievous wounds and abundant bleeding that comes with these guys."

Kara scowled. "Is it that bad?"

"Honey, the _vast majority_ of us bleed. Vigilantes just tend to do it more often than most."

"No, I know, but...well, it's such a jarringly different experience from fighting with Stark and Rogers, or even by myself." -she admitted. "I've never seen violence this harsh up close before, and that's me saying it _after_ fighting off an alien invasion."

Claire looked at her patient. "It'd be hard to, from all the way up in that Tower of yours. Things tend to look a lot shittier down at street level."

Kara hummed. "I guess there's no point in denying that."

"Listen, you've only just started." -Claire said. "I'm not about to hold it against you. Or your teammates, for that matter, even _if_ Stark has been blowing shit up for two years by now. I get it; you guys just operate on another level."

"Maybe." -Kara said. "But that doesn't mean we can't help on this one. Our normal abilities don't exactly match with fighting crime on the streets, but we could always tone things down. We don't need to blow things up when a simple punch might be enough."

Claire narrowed her eyes. "You're strangely adamant about this."

Kara stared at the sleeping redhead on the bed, and thought about the blonde back at the Tower. "The last few days have been... _eye opening_ , to say the least. Ever since I came to Earth and realized I had these abilities, I wanted to use them to help people."

"Why didn't you?"

She sat on the floor. "...fear, at first. I thought people would be afraid of what I can do. I thought they'd see me and think of me only as the alien - the different one, y'know?"

"You're blonde and gorgeous, Kara." -Claire retorted, sarcastic.

She blushed. "I can also _fly_ and shoot _lasers_ out of my eyes. I'm a walking, talking weapon of mass destruction, as S.H.I.E.L.D. loved to remind me all the time. Everyone would tell me that things were not so bad that my powers were actually necessary." -she said, sad. " _Clearly_ , that's not the case."

The nurse pursed her lips. "What made you change your mind? Why did you take the plunge last monday?"

Kara looked down at the symbol on her chest. "I think I've realized that I can't control what people think of me, and that that's _ok_. My classmates hated me for being weird, my last crush hated me for being an alien, my last boss hated me for being queer...I've already experienced all the negatives of being _different_ ; might as well make _something_ out of the positives, right? I'm not letting anyone's opinion stop me from helping anymore."

Claire hummed. "You say that now - and it's noble, I'll admit - but you haven't really experienced the court of public opinion yet, Supergirl. Not until it's so negative that the whole world seems to pile up against you."

"Maybe not. I'll just have to do my best and hope things won't ever get that bad." -Kara said.

"They're already starting to." -Claire warned. "The Bugle has run two hit pieces on you already, and while _I_ might not give two shits that you came from outer space, my neighbor sure as hell does. Crazy old bastard thinks you'll turn evil and roast us all with your laser eyes any day, now."

Kara winced. "I'm sorry they think that way."

"Don't be sorry. Be _proactive_. You're gonna have to show them that you're more than just _that_." -she said, pointing at the symbol of her House. "That drive you showed me just a few moments ago? It's a good start, but it's still just words."

The blonde looked down at her cape. "So then...what do I do? I fight with the Avengers, and I now go on patrols with Spider-Man. What's next?"

"Like I said, you've got a good, running start, but you have to start thinking ahead. You know _why_ I keep answering the Devil's calls?" -she asked. Kara shook her head. "It's not because he punches criminals into a pulp every night. Oh, he gave me the same kind of spiel you just did. How he had these _abilities_ , and he just _had_ to do _something_ about how bad things were." -she said, rolling her eyes. "Like I said, he was _bleeding out on my couch_ then. Sure, he had conviction, but could only get him - and you - so far. Crime didn't even really drop those first few months."

"He kept at it, and every time he was on the brink of death, he'd come to me. So, one night, I told him I wouldn't do it again. Not until he _actually_ started thinking his nights through. Not until he started _picking_ _his fights_ , instead of charging in with no other plan than 'beat the bad guys'. I didn't patch him up again until he learned that crime isn't always stopped by a pair of fists, and even when it _is_ , you have to figure out where and how hard to hit. You can't expect to knock someone out by bashing on their pinky."

Kara cupped her chin in thought. "We won't make a dent on crime by focusing on muggers and street dealers. We need to start looking up the totem pole. That's what you're saying, right?"

She shrugged. "Change needs to happen either way. Taking it from the top is riskier, but also a _hell_ of a lot faster."

Supergirl smirked. "Aunt Astra would've liked you."

"I'm hoping that's a compliment."

She rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, she _was_ kind of an eco-terrorist, and she _did_ kind of help cause the collapse of the Kryptonian empire...but looking back on it, things were getting kind of fascistic, so maybe she wasn't all _that_ bad."

Claire blinked. "...I _think_ I've been called worse."

The door opened behind Kara, and in walked Peter, his face bare but his eyes covered so as to not see anything he wasn't meant to. He needn't have worried; the redhead was covered in blankets, and bandaged up anyways. "Hey Kara, Matt wanted to talk to you."

Kara frowned. "Who's Matt?"

Claire snorted as Kara rose from her seat. "The Devil of Poorly Concealed Identities, apparently."

The blonde gasp-laughed. "Oh my gosh, we really _are_ terrible at this."

* * *

 **Lots to unpack on this one:**

 **-I wanted to try a bit of a different style for the "patrol" sections of this fic. They won't happen often, but I liked intermingling the short descriptions with some meaningful talks, so expect more of that sometime later.**

 **-I headcanon that the police precinct Kara took the mugger to was the 99 in Brooklyn. I've been bingeing that amazing series *shrugs***

 **-Yes, that Kamala is THAT Kamala. Don't expect to hear from her again in quite some time though.**

 **-If you're wondering what's up with this detour from the plot, it's really not. It's mostly explained in the next chapter. I just needed to set up a few things up first. This is still connected.**

 **-Claire Temple is awesome. She kind of dismissed Kara at first here, but she's a great judge of character, and knew that she just needed a bit of tough love going forward.**

 **That's it for now. Until next time!**


	16. Chapter 16

"Matt Murdock, attorney at law." -the now unmasked and shirtless man said, offering a bruised hand.

"Kara Danvers." -she shook it, trying her best not to stare too much at the dozens of scars covering his body, both old and new. The latest wounds seemed superficial, thankfully, only slightly bleeding through the bandages he was busy applying. Murdock had a slender but well toned build, like an adult version of Peter's. His hair was straw-colored, with a hint of red appearing when the light hit it just right. His eyes were odd - alert, but completely unfocused. He was staring at her, but didn't seem to see her; for a brief moment, she considered he might be visually impaired, but dismissed the notion as unlikely. She'd seen his insane acrobatics, after all.

"That's a heck of a grip." -Matt noted. "Seems what I've heard is true."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "What would that be?"

He dabbed an alcohol-doused cotton ball across a cut on his forearm, not even wincing in pain. "People call you the Girl of Steel, don't they?"

"Only on the news." -she said, chagrined. "Still not sure how I feel about that. Steel really isn't all that durable."

Matt smirked, turning to Peter. "You were right, Peter. Everything she says _does_ sound like a humble brag."

Kara gasped, crossing her arms. "Peter! I thought we were _cool_ …"

He lifted his hands placatingly. "In my defense, you literally spent five minutes of our eating break complaining about cutlery because you'll sometimes forget and _chew right through forks_."

"It's a genuine problem!"

"You said, and I quote: 'I wish they'd make forks out of whatever Cap's shield is made of.'" -he said, laughing. "That would be _adamantium_ , by the way. Kinda hard to make a set of cutlery out of a vibranium alloy no one knows how to replicate since it was an accident in the first place."

Kara huffed. "Still. You have no idea how much silverware I've gone through."

Murdock cleared his throat, slipping into a compression shirt. "As amusing as this is, we have a lot to discuss. Please, sit."

She pursed her lips, then took her place on the couch. The man walked to the fridge and brought over a couple of beers, as well as a tiny juice box for Peter. Kara grabbed the offered beverage and carefully popped off the cap. Peter eagerly took the grape juice, which made both the adults in the room smirk.

"Am I gonna have to call you a cab after this?" -Peter asked. "You really shouldn't drink and fly."

Kara shrugged. "Alcohol doesn't do anything for me. I just like drinking cold things."

"It's alcohol-free, anyway. Couldn't really do what I do under the influence." -Matt said, then turned to Kara. "I want to make something clear, Miss Danvers; I don't know you. I've barely even heard of you, and what I _have_ heard, while impressive, squarely places you as someone I should not be working with, let alone sharing my identity to."

"Oh. What did I do?"

Matt crossed his arms. "You're loud, powerful, potentially _catastrophic_ in terms of collateral damage. Neither myself nor any of the other vigilantes I've met can afford to be any of that. We fight in the shadows, where the laws don't reach and the worst criminals are comfortable."

Kara's expression turned downcast. "However, " -he continued, "I'll readily admit that you've shown both the willingness and ability to contain your power. I trust Peter's judgement, and so I trust that you - and potentially, your friends in Midtown - can keep it that way, down here on the streets. I'm not proud enough to reject the help; New York needs every pair of hands available, if things are to improve."

Kara nodded. "Agreed. We'll work it out, I promise."

He tipped his beer towards her. "Good. Secondly, I wanted to thank you for your help."

She rubbed the back of her head. "I'm sorry I berated you for beating up that man. I should've realized something more was going on."

Matt shook his head. "You shouldn't apologize. You snapped me out of something... _dark_. Probably saved that man's life." -he admitted. "I usually have much better control, but...well, Karen is a personal friend, and it's my fault that she was in harm's way tonight. I wasn't thinking straight."

Kara scowled, trying not to think too much about how close this man had been to turning killer. "This wasn't random, then?"

"Not at all." -he said, guilty. "Karen Page - the woman we rescued - accidentally uncovered a _massive_ corporate conspiracy while working as a secretary for Union Allied Construction, and I... _encouraged_ her desire to dig deeper. It's made her a target, hence what happened tonight."

"Do you know who attacked her?"

"I have an idea of who might've _sent_ him, but no. Most likely a simple hitman, though a rather unprofessional one. I've never heard of an assassin attempting to sexually assault their target." -he said, disgusted.

Kara's scowl deepened. "Who do you think ordered the hit?"

Matt pursed his lips. "Hard to narrow it down. There's a whole cabal of candidates to choose from; men and women with a _lot_ of power and influence in this city and beyond."

She hummed, then looked at Peter. "Do you think this is related to what you found out?"

"We _know_ it is. Just listen to Matt." -he replied, crossing his arms.

"I was skeptical, at first." -Matt confessed. "This all appears to be a fairly simple case of systemic corruption at first glance; buying out government officials, paying off cops, purchasing every inch of land available in the city...whatever helps accrue power and wealth. _Influence_. I thought they were simply trying to get rich by peddling drugs unhindered by the justice system, but this conspiracy seems to go a _lot_ deeper than that."

Peter shook his head. "We think these guys aren't trying to get rich. That's just a neat side effect. What they're _really_ doing is trying to take control of the world."

Kara blinked. "Ok, let's stop playing the pronoun game, you two. Who are you talking about? Who's 'they'?"

The two vigilantes looked at each other for a moment. "It's like this; we don't know who's at the _top_ , but everyone under is _trying_ to get either _at_ them, or _with_ them. We're not entirely sure which sometimes." -Peter admitted.

"We _do_ know some names, and have a vague understanding of their plan."

"So, start calling them out."

"Roxxon's a big one." -Peter said. "It's supposed to be an oil conglomerate, but it has its fingers in some _very_ unorthodox pies. As in, they're interested in xeno-genetics, which I didn't even _know_ was a scientific field of study. I mean, aliens have only been officially a thing since Thor and his buddies blew up Puente Antiguo."

Matt nodded. "Hammer Industries was a player, too, before its CEO went and got the Stark Expo destroyed. As we understand it, this has gotten them kicked out of the game."

"Then there's obviously our pals at OsCorp, which have a _huge_ stake in advanced bioengineering."

Kara crossed her arms. "These are all just big companies. I mean, yeah, they're usually a little sleazy, and _clearly_ in need of better regulation, but nothing is immediately screaming 'conspiracy' to me."

"Picture it this way; there's this... _council_ at the top; whoever's on it gets to rule the world whenever whatever evil _plan_ they have going on happens - and they have a spot open for new members. If you wanna get in, you gotta audition. Robotics, genetic engineering, weaponry, defense systems, you name it. Anything that'll help strengthen the overall group. It's like a talent show of evil. Or a science fair of doom."

She frowned. "So...OsCorp's efforts in recreating the Serum are their attempt at filling that vacancy?"

"Precisely." -Matt said.

"How the heck did you figure all of this out?" -Kara asked, baffled. "You and Gwen kinda made it seem like you were barely starting to put things together."

Peter rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Kara. We, uh...didn't know how much we could trust you with. S'why you're getting the whole enchilada now."

Matt spared a wry smile. "Karen accidentally received an email with some rather _inconvenient_ information; a collection of unlisted locations and updates for off-the-books construction projects that the company has undertaken. Union Allied is _small_ ; local, but still a part of an enormous, multi-national network of construction companies whose records tend to be… _muddled_ , to say the least. Most of these are similarly sized, and have spawned in the last twenty years, but even the big ones have seen some interesting changes in management or direction in a similar time frame."

"You know how supervillains in comic books tend to spring kick-ass hideouts out of nowhere? Union Allied and this freaky network of builders is where those secret bases come from." -Peter gushed, a little _too_ excited, in Kara's opinion.

"Karen tried to take the list to her co-worker, a trustworthy man named Daniel Fisher. He was surprised, and, in turn, took it to his superiors. Daniel was found dead within the day, with all the evidence incriminating Karen herself." -Matt said, grim. "That's how we met - as lawyer and client."

" _Rao_...I'm so sorry. She's been through so much." -Kara said, looking back at the door to the bedroom.

Matt nodded grimly. "My partner and I were able to prove her innocence, and hired her as our secretary, but we didn't - _couldn't_ \- let the matter lie. We dug deeper until we found out the connections we're talking about now."

"The weird part? It's because of _you_ guys that we even got the chance to make those connections." -Spidey claimed.

Kara raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Last monday, while all three of us were out there, saving the world from the Chitauri? A hacktivist friend of ours was hacking into Union Allied's servers, trying to retrieve the full info from Karen's computer. She couldn't do much about _that_ \- hence Gwen and I's plan to try and find something at one of the sources, OsCorp - but what she _did_ find was the guys on top _panicking_ , about none other than the Avengers."

Matt narrowed his eyes. "This is not much more than a personal theory, but seeing the timeline, I can only imagine that watching a group of heroic individuals as powerful as you rise up from _nowhere_ inherently placed their formerly comfortable clandestine operations at risk of becoming your targets."

"Meaning, they're in full-on panic mode, and they're making a _lot_ of mistakes. That's how Gwen found out that the Serum experiments are still going strong."

Kara thought for a moment. "The Enhanced people we defeated this morning basically said the guys controlling them were testing us. They were sacrifices, weren't they? Figuring out how the Avengers are going to change the status quo by throwing them at us."

"They've never had to worry about anything other than their mutual rivalries. It stands to reason that they would assess what kind of threat you pose."

Kara breathed out shakily. "...what are we going to do?"

"We have to expose them." -Matt said, resolute. "The only reason they've grown so powerful is because no one knew to look for them, let alone stop them."

"We can't do it yet, though. We need solid proof, first." -Peter said. "We have enough to make OsCorp uncomfortable, and a few locations we can maybe link to the other players, but we need something irrefutable."

Kara tapped her chin. "Well, I'm due for a trip to OsCorp tomorrow. Plus, I'm paying a visit to Norman Osborn some time next week. I'll try to get something we can all work with."

Matt looked dubious. "And the Avengers will be fine working alongside vigilantes?"

Kara smirked. "Honestly? _Yeah_. I'm not gonna lie, Murdock. What you do is dangerous, rough, and more morally dubious than I'm willing to really ponder for too long, but at the end of the day, we're all fighting for the same thing. The methods are different, and so are the motivations, but wanting peace and justice? That's something we all have in common. Rogers does want to recruit you, eventually. I just _know_ Stark is itching to outfit you better. Breaking a few laws in the name of justice is the least of your problems, if you're gonna work with us."

The Devil grimaced. "That's not going to go over well with the others."

Peter shrugged. "I mean, I can vouch for Stark's suits, if nothing else." -he said, throwing his mask at Matt, who caught it without even looking at it. "I know we've all got a lot to lose if we go public, but...don't we have just as much - if not more - risk going on by fighting alone? Think about how much faster you could clean up the Kitchen if you had _actual_ intelligence instead of just hearsay and forced confessions."

Matt crossed his arms. "Well, _this_ is quite the change of heart. What's going on, Peter? You've been the biggest proponent for secret identities out of all of us until now."

Peter blushed, briefly looking at Kara. "I had a good pep talk." -he said. "The point is, there wasn't anything like the Avengers when we started. We were all doing our own thing, helping each other out whenever we could, hoping for the best when we couldn't."

"We've never been a team." -Matt countered. "Nor have any of us ever wanted to be."

"Really? You didn't wish I'd dropped by when you almost _died_ taking on the russians by the pier? You don't think I wished Jessica would've jumped in when Connors was choking me to death three weeks ago? _Seriously_ , Matt. I might be a dumb teenager, but even _I_ know it's never the best idea to go it alone."

Murdock stayed silent, deep in thought. "If it helps at all, S.H.I.E.L.D. already knows who most of you are. All Enhanced individuals are recorded in their Index. Unless you're underaged, they've got your name, age, address, power set...pretty much everything."

The lawyer tensed up. "If that's true, then why haven't they tried to stop us? Good intentions aside, we _are_ breaking the law."

"I don't think S.H.I.E.L.D. cares as much about laws as it does about keeping the peace. They must think you're doing a good job." -she said. "In any case, there's no need to be hasty. I get that this isn't an easy choice to make, and we have to focus on figuring this plot out anyway."

Murdock nodded. "I appreciate that. The others will take some convincing, but I can at least guarantee we'll fight together, should it come to that."

" _When_ it comes to that. People who have power do their best to hold onto it." -Kara said darkly. "You can bet they're not gonna go down easy."

"Agreed."

She rose, casting a last look at the room where Karen slept. "I gotta go - big day tomorrow. Keep me in the loop, alright? I'll talk to the guys about this, see what they think."

"Of course."

"You've got Karen? I can take her to the Tower if you'd prefer. Rao knows we've got the space."

Matt shook his head. "She's safe here, and her injuries are minor. Thank you."

Kara hummed. "Alright." -she said, then rose. "Where do I put this?" -she asked, holding the empty beer bottle up.

"In the bin by the cane." -he said, amused, pointing at the open kitchen behind him.

Supergirl blinked, looking past him. Indeed, beside the fridge, there was a trash bin and a folded up walking stick.

Both vigilantes were snickering as she gasped. "Rao's gaze, you're _blind!?_ "


	17. Chapter 17

**In which Darth read his first chatfic the other day and wanted to try his hand at it**

* * *

Kara was a fairly light sleeper. She only needed about a fourth as much rest as regular humans to begin with, and then when she _did_ grab some Z's, there was her enhanced hearing to consider.

That's how she woke up knowing there was someone in her room.

"Well. _This_ is legitimately upsetting." -a woman's voice muttered, much too close for comfort.

"Who are you?" -she asked, rising slowly and trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes.

The figure handed her glasses to her. "Not even two weeks ago there was no one who could hear me coming. Between you and Rogers, I can't claim that anymore."

Kara frowned, taking the eyewear. "Are you here to kill me?"

The woman scoffed, leaning on the wall beside her bed. "Can you even die? Of _course_ I'm not here to kill you. There's nothing I could do to you that'd even leave a mark, anyway."

The lights came on, blinding her for a second. "I've seen many kryptonians die." -Kara said, wincing. "So, yes...I _can_ , in theory."

She hummed. Kara finally got a good look at the intruder: she was a bombshell of a svelte, short woman, red-haired and blue-eyed. She was clad in a nearly skin-tight black catsuit, the same material as her own, a red hourglass symbol adorning her abdomen. Kara could make out several pistols, knives both hidden and visible, and the telltale forearm bracers of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most lethal agent.

"Good to know." -the Black Widow said, nonchalant. "I'm Natasha Romanoff. Nice to meet you."

Kara gave her a withering look. "Is this what Alex meant when she told me you had no sense of personal boundaries?"

"Oh, your sister was _far_ more welcoming than that would imply." -she said, a not-so-innocent smirk forming.

" _Gross_."

Romanoff snorted. " _Relax_ , I'm joking. Your sister is far too stuck up for my tastes anyway."

Kara crossed her arms. " _Why_ are you _here_?"

"Well, since Stark seems to _actually_ be serious about this Avengers business, Clint and I thought we'd finally come in and check for ourselves. See what all the fuss is about."

"I meant in my _room_ , Agent Romanoff. You couldn't wait in the common room? It's not like I ever sleep in."

She smirked. "Please, call me Natasha. And...I suppose I was curious. I like to push buttons, figure out what makes people tick. You're an alien on top of that, and I find that _fascinating_. Besides, Thor wasn't around for very long, and Loki was surprisingly easy to read."

Kara frowned. "Well, I hope you got your fill of intel. I'd like to shower now."

"Go ahead, I can wait."

The kryptonian groaned. "I'm trying _really_ hard not to kick you out of here, Natasha."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "I have to say, you're _surprisingly_ easy to get a rise from. Alright, I'll leave you to your _modesty_ , Danvers. Best get to it anyway, we've got a Quinjet to catch."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "Do we have another mission already?"

The spy shook her head. "The world isn't so messed up that the Avengers need to assemble on the daily. At least, not yet. No, you've got a date with Bruce's alter ego. The upstate facility is ready for your little skirmish."

* * *

 _ **Avengers**_ _: Hey Lena?_

 _ **Lena_Luthor**_ _: Yes, overwhelmingly male assortment of comic book characters?_

 _ **Avengers**_ _: Funny. It's Kara._

 _ **Lena_Luthor**_ _: I gathered as much, yes. To what do I owe the DM-sliding?_

 _ **Avengers**_ _: Wanted to talk to you about OsCorp. I need a favor._

 _ **Lena_Luthor**_ _: How convenient. I need to speak to you as well._

 _I believe I've found something you and your colorful friends should see._

 _ **Avengers**_ _: !_

 _Let's meet ASAP. I've got a thing, but I can cancel._

 _ **Lena_Luthor**_ _: Don't. Go about your day as you normally would have. I need to set some things up, anyway. Meet me at my office after midnight. Friends are not required, but...encouraged._

 _ **Avengers**_ _: Midnight it is._

 _...be careful, Lena._

* * *

 _ **Avengers**_ _: How's Karen doing?_

 _ **SpiderMan**_ _: OMG how do i have this acct!?1? i swear it wasnt on my phone yesterday_

 _shes fine btw. shaken but already walkin round_

 _ **Avengers**_ _: Just assume the answer is always "JARVIS" whenever something weird involving tech happens._

 _I'm glad she's OK. Wanted to let you know I can't make it to patrol tonight._

 _ **SpiderMan**_ _: sure, no prob. ill just brave the wild streets of the big apple all by my lonesome_

 _ **Avengers**_ _: Spare me the sob story, Spidey._

 _I kinda need a favor, though_

 _ **SpiderMan**_ _: whats up?_

 _ **Avengers**_ _: I know it's a school night, but could you swing by OsCorp around midnight? Might be something going on. Might be nothing, too, but I wanna be safe._

 _ **SpiderMan**_ _: …_

 _you cant see it but i legit just teared up a lil_

 _you have like a whole team and youre asking me?_

 _ **Avengers**_ _: Of course. I trust you, Spider-Man._

 _ **SpiderMan**_ _: YOU HYPHENATED AND EVERYTHING_

 _ill be there, don't worry. bringin all the quips and thwips you can handle_

 _ **Avengers**_ _: ...what's a "twhip"?_

 _ **SpiderMan**_ _: its an onomatopeia duh_

 _just listen for it tonight around me_

 _ **Avengers**_ _: Ooooook. I'm gonna go now._

 _I may or may not be about to fight the Hulk._

* * *

A nice shower and a series of direct messages later, Kara found herself making a beeline for the kitchen, only to find a crowd already there. Tony, Steve, Bruce, Barton, Natasha, and a new guy she hadn't met before were all waiting for her, circled around the breakfast table, all of them either in uniform, or under-armor. On it, there was a single plate, covered in a napkin.

Rogers amusedly handed Stark a five dollar bill. "What's going on here?" -Kara asked, suspicious.

"I bet Cap you'd be heading straight for the kitchen as soon as you were decent. _He_ thought you'd be a good teammate and skip breakfast in favor of going to the hangar." -Stark said, holding back a laugh. "I know my superhumans better than the super soldier himself, apparently."

Kara blushed. "Sorry. I need calories like you need caffeine."

"Apt analogy. I guess you've met Romanoff already, but that's Clint and Rhodey." -he said, pointing at Barton and the dark-skinned man beside him. "Legolas and Platypus, respectively."

Barton gave her a simple, somewhat gruff head nod, while Rhodey offered a handshake, which she gingerly returned. "Do me a favor and ignore the monotreme nickname, alright? I'm James Rhodes. _Hell_ of a grip, you got there." -he said.

"...sorry. It's kind of a thing with me." -she said, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm Kara Zor-El. Danvers? Whichever works best in conversation, I guess. It's nice to meet you."

Stark smirked. "Glad you're getting along already. Would've hated for the newbies to get off on the wrong foot. Er, feet."

Kara gasped. "You're an Avenger, too?"

Rhodes nodded. "I couldn't make it to the battle on monday, but I can still help out. I'm _technically_ on loan from the Air Force, but since my armor is Tony's property, I might as well be a full-fledged member. My callsign is War Machine."

"Supergirl." -she said, smiling. "I'm really glad you're here."

"Every pair of hands, right?" -he said. "It's good to be here."

Stark rolled his eyes. "Alright, you two, the sap is starting to drip all over us manly superheroes. Now, I know you're looking forward to a nice, big breakfast, courtesy of your obscenely rich friend, Tony Stark - that's me - which leads us to our second order of business." -he said, then gestured exaggeratedly at the covered up plate.

She raised an eyebrow. "I hope you've got like ten more of those hidden around here. I'm not seeing my twelve thousand calories."

He yanked the napkin away, revealing...an oatmeal bar. "No need for more. Within the confines of the oatmeal crust you can plainly see, there's a hyper-dense core of pure nutrients, calibrated for your unique biology. Bruce and I got bored last night and invented this thing, while you were hanging out with the vigilantes."

Bruce winced. "I want no credit for this. It tastes like motor oil and sadness - and I'm not even exaggerating, either. The uh, Hulk has _actually_ ripped out an engine with his teeth before. Think it was a humvee."

Kara giggled. " _Gross_. Let me try it."

Rogers handed her the plate. She grabbed the bar, chuckling when she noticed the hairline cracks on the ceramic underneath, and bit into it. Hyper-dense indeed.

Stark paled as she munched. "Holy shit, she _actually_ _likes_ it."

The kryptonian turned beet red. "...it's actually really tasty."

The inventor broke out in guffaws, Rogers chuckled, and the rest all grinned or smiled a little. "Well, I guess we've learned our first thing of the day already: kryptonians like the taste of motor oil."

"We never had fossil fuels on Krypton! How was _I_ supposed to know they'd be like a delicacy?"

* * *

"Don't let Barton's mood get to you." -Natasha told her, leaning on an unused locker as Kara put on her boots in the training grounds' locker room. "He's not usually this grumpy."

She shrugged. "I didn't really notice."

"You're a shit liar." -the redhead said, dryly. "You deflated _very_ visibly as soon as he didn't say hi."

Kara pursed his lips. "...I guess I was a little worried. Alex hasn't told me anything about him, and the news _barely_ covered you two, so I didn't know what to expect. I thought I made a bad impression somehow."

"Well, it's not something you did, I can tell you that much. He was... _incapacitated_ very recently, before the battle. Put under Loki's spell and forced to fight us."

"Who's Loki?"

"Thor's brother. Adopted, or so he says." -she said, wryly. "He's the one behind the Chitauri. I forgot you weren't there."

"Did you kill him?"

"No, unfortunately. He surrendered, so Thor took him back to Asgard for judgement."

Kara hummed. "I see."

Natasha shrugged. "Clint is having a hard time trusting new people. Especially those he could never realistically beat."

The blonde frowned. "Is there anything I can do to help? I'd like to get along with everyone on the team."

"That's your first mistake. Trust me, Kara, there are gonna be too many clashing personalities around here, soon as the novelty wears off. Respect and trust are important, sure, but friendship is hardly necessary for teamwork to be effective."

Kara adjusted her skirt, then locked the belt in place. "That's kind of pessimistic, don't you think?"

"Maybe. Maybe you're a little optimistic yourself." -she said, testing her gauntlets. Sparks and pops filled the air, making Kara wince. "You saw it yourself the other day, on the highway. Five minutes alone and Stark and Rogers were already at each other's throats. And you can't tell me you didn't notice how uncomfortable Banner is with keeping the Enhanced captive."

"We _asked_ them to stay." -she reminded her.

"And then basically put them in quarantine. Call it what you will, but they aren't exactly honored guests."

Kara sighed. "Why are you telling me all this?"

Natasha smirked. "Partly to push your buttons, I'll admit. But it's also because you seem to have a way of drawing people together. Maybe it's because everyone listens to the strongest being on the planet. Maybe it's just 'cause you're really _that_ nice. Whatever it is, I want you to realize just what you're taking on, being an Avenger. Beside the supervillains and alien armies, that is."

"What would that be?"

The spy looked away. "We're all broken people. Duct-taped back together, sure, but we're always just a little bit of stress away from breaking again. And now? The whole world is expecting us to solve every problem. We _are_ going to break again, and someone's gonna have to pick up the pieces."

"That's what we're here for, though - why we're a team. Sure, we might get knocked down, but there'll always be someone to help us back on our feet."

Natasha shot her an appraising look. "...I hope you're right."

" _Stop fussing already, you two. I designed your suits, so I know you look great._ " -Stark said over the intercom.

Kara raised an annoyed eyebrow. "Were you spying on us?"

" _No, but my omnipresent AI was. Come on, Bruce is ready to throw down._ "

* * *

 **17 chapters in and we're only just about to get to the titular fight. Thanks for sticking with me!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm actually rather happy with how this turned out. I hope y'all are too!**

* * *

Kara gasped as she stepped out onto the field. "What the heck happened here?"

The training grounds were huge; a hundred acres of somewhat sunken rocky terrain surrounded by forest, just about a half mile south of the former Stark Industries warehouses that made up the - still under construction - new Avengers base. They were also blasted to _hell_ , the acrid smell of soot and gunpowder assaulting Kara's nose.

" _Tony had me test out some upgrades to the armor yesterday, before I came in._ " -Rhodey said, hovering above her. He landed with a heavy thud, betraying the added weight of the myriad extra weapons and ammo grafted onto the much bulkier black and gray War Machine suit. The red-eyed faceplate lifted. "I'd apologize about the mess, but...it wasn't all that much better before I started shooting."

Stark spoke into their comlinks as Rogers and Romanoff approached from behind. " _This place was an abandoned limestone quarry for the nearby towns before dad bought the land and turned it into a storage complex. The idea is to build a modular training area here that can realistically simulate battlefields, rescue attempts, asgardian grudge matches, and so on. The tech on that is still a work in progress, but this should be enough for today._ "

Kara nodded. "Alright. So, what are the rules?"

" _Well, at Bruce's insistence, we've set this up kind of like a rodeo. He goes green, you two tussle - strictly inside the boundaries of this place - until one of you yields. The rest of us are the rodeo clowns; mostly here to brighten up the place, but if the Hulk goes a little off-script, we'll distract and tire him out. Meanwhile, JARVIS will be collecting every bit of data he can on the two of you._ "

"Are you guys sure about staying? Things might get a little _too_ hectic."

"Relax. We'll be fine." -Rogers reassured her. "Just do your thing."

"And have _fun_." -Romanoff added with a smirk.

Kara smiled, then flew towards the middle of the field, where Banner and Stark were waiting.

"Are we _really_ doing this?" -Bruce asked meekly.

" _It'll be fine, Bruce. Kara's game, and so are we._ " -Stark said.

"I've just...never turned into the Hulk for leisure."

" _Which this_ isn't _._ _This is an experiment, remember?_ "

Banner shot him a withering look. "I mean there aren't people shooting at me, for once."

Stark chuckled as the repulsors on his palms glowed brighter and whined with power. " _Just say the word, buddy._ "

"Come on, Tony, there's no need to pressure him." -she said, landing softly. "Would it help if the Hulk saw me as a threat?" -she asked Banner.

He shook his head. "I don't think he could fathom it. He thinks you're...well, 'puny'."

"Well, _ow_. But _you_ know I'm not, right?"

Bruce nodded quickly. "I do. I just don't want him to hurt you."

"So, don't _let_ him. It's not just his hands on the wheel, right? You told me he's always there, ready to jump out whenever you get hurt. But _you're_ also around when he's out. I know you and the Hulk don't see eye to eye much, but I doubt he wants me hurt, either."

He pursed his lips. "What if he loses control? What if I can't get through to him?"

Tony's faceplate lifted. "Bruce, buddy, you gotta give yourselves some more credit. The Hulk was _amazing_ in New York; he took out even more bad guys than I did. _And_ , lest you forget, he _saved my life._ "

Bruce looked at his hands. "It's just...he's _so destructive_. Half of Midtown was wrecked because he doesn't know his own strength."

"Well, it's what we're here to figure out, isn't it? We'll start slow and go from there." -Kara promised.

The haggard man stared at her. She could see the profound fear plainly, but something _else_ sparked within. Something like determination. "Okay." -he said, then started to unbutton his shirt. "I'll try my best. Just promise me you'll throw us both into the sun if he goes nuts."

She rolled her eyes at the joke as he dropped his pants, revealing a form-fitting pair of purple shorts, stamped with the newly minted Avengers logo, a stylized red 'A' within a circle, the crossed line at the middle of the letter forming an arrow shooting outside the shape to the right. Tony grabbed the clothes, and blasted off towards the edge of the grounds.

"Ready?" -he asked.

She punched her palm, _hard_. " _Born_ that way." -she said, then snort-laughed. "Get it? Because my species was genetically engineered to…?"

" _Just get on with it already!_ " -Romanoff shouted in her ear.

Bruce spared a small smile for her terrible joke, then closed his eyes. Kara assumed a fighting stance as Banner _grew -_ his bones, muscles, and skin engorged and stretched _well_ past the limit of the human form - grunting in obvious pain as the transformation turned him from a brilliant scientist into a raging green monster.

Only...there _was_ no rage. The Hulk stood well over eight and a half feet, a veritable mountain of muscles that might've given her pause, if not for the fact that his bright green eyes were... _curious._

"Hi." -she waved. "I'm Supergirl."

The Hulk frowned. " **No Supergirl.** _ **Kara**_ **.** " -he stated, his voice deep, the words clearly difficult to get out. Then, he punched his chest. " **Hulk!** "

She smiled. "Of course." -she said, then offered her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Hulk."

The jade giant gingerly took her hand, as if afraid to break it. The monstrous hand obviously dwarfed hers, but she somehow managed a grip, and _squeezed_.

His expression turned to one of clear surprise, and then _wonder_ ; he tried to match the mounting strength of her grip, and, for the first time since she was a child, her knuckles _popped_.

" _Holy_ shit. _There's enough pascals in that handshake to make_ diamonds _._ " -Stark breathed through the comm.

Kara giggled as they released their hands, unable to best the other. "You're pretty strong, big guy."

The Hulk gave her a huge, toothy grin. " **Hulk is strongest Avenger!** " -he claimed. " **Stronger than Thor, stronger than Kara!** "

She cocked her head. "You sure about that?"

" **Hulk is sure!** "

Kara shrugged. "I feel like I could take you on, though. Maybe we should test that?"

The big guy frowned. " **Test?** "

"Bruce wants to know how strong you really are, yeah. I'm kinda curious, too."

" **Banner don't want to know Hulk. Wants to** _ **bust**_ **Hulk!** " -he insisted.

"He does want the Hulkbuster armor built." -she admitted. "He's not trying to get rid of you, though. It's a way to hold you back, just in case. Sometimes you go a little off the rails, and innocent people get hurt. You understand this, right?"

The Hulk grunted. " **Hulk only hurt bad punies.** **Hulk protect good punies!** "

Kara nodded. "I get that, believe me. But this strength of ours...sometimes it's a bit of a curse. Sometimes we end up harming the people we're trying to protect." -she said softly. "How about this? Let's _not_ think about this as a test, or an experiment, and try to see it as...training."

" **Training?** "

"Yeah! We're superheroes now, buddy! We have to train to be better at it."

The Hulk seemed to ponder this for a moment. " **Hulk protect punies better?** "

"I promise, yes." -she said. "What do you say?"

He grinned. " **Hulk say...SMASH!** "

Faster than she could blink, the Hulk punched her straight in the solar plexus, sending her careening several dozen feet, kicking up dirt and stone as she turned head over heels over and over again until she came to a stop. Kara could hear the shocked gasps in her comm, but more importantly, she could feel a small, nearly forgotten ache on her chest.

The hit had _stung._

Kara rose, dusting herself off. The Hulk seemed uncertain, perhaps thinking he'd gone too far, but roared in glee as she gave him a thumbs-up. Then, Kara charged, forward and upward.

The Hulk jumped to meet her, but Kara had the clear advantage in the skies, grabbing the arm about to hammer her down, and using the swing's momentum to turn to the ground and throw him towards it. The impact was massive - making the earth rumble and causing a shower of rock fragments all around the newly formed crater - but not _nearly_ as powerful as the diving punch she delivered, straight at the Hulk's gut.

Kara brushed the hair out of her face as she floated out of reach of the dazed Avenger. "How are we doing, big guy?"

The Hulk responded by leaping feet-first towards her, taking her back to the ground. " **Good fight! Kara not so puny!** " -he complimented her.

She grinned. "I can do better than 'not so puny', pal." -she said, then grabbed his massive ankle and switched places with him, slamming him once, thrice, _five_ times into the stone around her. The Hulk guffawed, rising after being released, a little dazed.

" _I can't freakin' believe it: you Loki'd the Hulk._ " -Stark laughed.

"I what?" -she asked, confused.

" _You remember that lovely portrait in black marble that Stark keeps in the common room? The Hulk did_ that _with Loki_." -Romanoff said, sounding amused.

Kara gasped. "Oh my gosh, I had no clue."

" _Just something to complement your Avengers lore. If you guys wanna stop, JARVIS has more than enough._ " -Stark said.

The kryptonian shrugged. "Alright." -she said. "Tony says he has enough data, Hulk."

The green giant vehemently shook his head. " **Not experiment, training!** " -he reminded her. " **Fight, FIGHT**!"

 _Oh-oh,_ Kara thought. "We'll pick it up next week, I promise!"

The Hulk frowned. " **Not next week. Fight NOW!** " -he insisted, his fists anxiously opening and closing.

" _Please_ , big guy, I swear we'll do this a bunch! There's no need to rush into it!" -she pleaded, but the Hulk was having none of it. Indeed, he roared, and started to charge, his enormous stride closing the distance in seconds. Kara braced for impact, but the Hulk's arm was suddenly stopped mid-swing, by none other than the other guy with a hand on the wheel.

" **No Banner!** " -he growled, punching his temples. " **NO BANNER, ONLY HULK!** "

Kara gasped in fear - not for herself, but for Bruce. Banner must've tried to take control of his body back by force, trying to send the Hulk back down. She could see where the Venn diagram example Bruce had given perfectly applied; the Hulk was just as afraid of Banner ripping control from his hands and _keeping it_ as Bruce was of the inverse.

She tried to grab him. "Hulk, I promise I'll talk to him! We'll all work on this together, _please_!"

The Hulk swatted her away in response, harder than ever. Finally, she could see the rage monster; logic had gone out the window, replaced by a complete focus on survival instinct - and the Hulk seemed not to have a flight response.

No sooner had Kara risen back up, did a van-sized block of cut limestone take her off her feet again, crushing her. She grunted, back-handing it away.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the War Machine prime his weapons. " _Stop!_ I'm still fine, don't get involved."

" _But…_ "

" _Everyone stop. We'll go on your mark, Kara._ " -Rogers grimly declared.

The Hulk, meanwhile, had found another block to throw at her. Kara had the time to react, this time, and so her eyes lit up, the pencil-thin blue-white beams of her heat vision easily bisecting the object, its two halves flying neatly past her. Tiny flecks of glowing, glassed stone stuck to her increasingly torn-up suit. She thanked Rao that her shield and cape were completely unharmed - _and that my underwear isn't showing yet_ , she thought amusedly - and blazed towards the confused creature ahead.

The Hulk bellowed, still clawing at his own face, but managed to put up a decent guard. It didn't really matter, as Kara's punch was strong enough to overcome his defense, sending him flying off towards the grounds' natural walls. Kara didn't let up her assault for a second, slamming into him and thus pinning him against the wall. Time seemed to slow down, somehow, but Kara didn't stop to consider it, focusing instead on delivering a series of withering jabs at his midsection.

Her brain picked that time to remember a conversation she'd had with Alex, a couple of years back.

* * *

" _You know I don't need any of this, Alex." -she whined. "It's not like there's a single thing on this planet I can't one-hit KO."_

 _Her older sister rolled her sister. "It pays to be prepared, Kara. Besides, I need to practice. If I want to grab Maria Hill's attention, I have to be able to beat anyone. If I knock a_ kryptonian _out, I bet she'll transfer me to her division first thing out of the Academy."_

" _I'm pretty sure knocking me out is impossible on Earth, sis."_

"Nothing _is impossible for humanity. We can eventually achieve anything we put our minds to."_

 _Kara snorted. "That sounds like a motivational Facebook post your aunt tagged us all in."_

 _Alex smirked. "It probably is. And I know I probably can't ever knock you out, no matter how hard I try. But still, the worst effort is the one that's never made. And hey, maybe kryptonians are vulnerable to 'the button', too."_

" _What button?"_

" _This one!" -Alex shouted, punching just to the side of her chin. As expected, Kara barely moved, more out of surprise than anything else._

 _Alex yelped in pain. "Son of a bitch! I forget it's like hitting a steel beam."_

" _Come on, give me_ some _credit. I can bend steel with my pinky." -she joked. "You okay?"_

" _Oh, shut up and get your guard up. I may not be able to leave a scratch, but I_ can _and_ will _knock you on your ass."_

* * *

Back in the present, Kara felt time start to settle back into its natural rhythm. Before the window of opportunity closed, she delivered the mother of all haymakers to the Hulk's jaw, sending him rolling sideways throughout the stone wall, finally ending up in a heap, about fifty feet away.

Kara shook her head, snapping out of the adrenaline fuelled frenzy. Her muscles felt somewhat heavy, but she ignored the sensation and floated towards the fallen Avenger, relieved to see he still breathed normally. She landed beside him, and Stark landed on the other side.

" _Read vitals_." -he said, touching his palm to the Hulk's neck.

"Is he ok?" -she asked, a spike of fear going through her stomach.

" _Oh, just fine_." -he said, nonchalant. " _I'm just making sure you actually_ knocked out the fucking Hulk _._ "

"Oh."

His faceplate lifted. "Which you _did_ , by the way. _How_ , I'm not sure, but holy _shit_ , Kara."

The Hulk stirred beneath them, slowly rising. Stark's helmet discreetly sealed back up, but it didn't seem to be necessary. Even at full height, the Hulk's demeanor was entirely different.

"Are you ok?" -Kara asked.

" **Hulk...dizzy.** " -he shout-muttered. " **Kara smash** _ **good**_ **.** "

She smirked. "Told you so, buddy."

" **Kara not** _ **puny**_ **. Kara strong, like Hulk!** " -he declared, growing a huge smile. He delicately patted her head. " **Hulk protect anyway**."

"Aww...I really appreciate that, Hulk. You kinda spooked me there for a bit."

He wrung his hands. " **Hulk is sorry. Hulk scared you only want Hulkbuster too.** "

Kara shook her head. "It's like I said; the armor is a good back-up, but it's a _better_ idea to just _train_ with you. We could both benefit from _actually_ learning how to fight, and what's more, fight _together_. As a team."

" **Hulk agrees. Want to learn how to stop last punch.** " -he admitted.

"I'm sure they'll teach us, big guy. But you gotta let Banner learn _with_ you. You guys are like, a mini-team within the team. And that means learning how to _share_." -she said, crossing her arms.

He glowered. " **Banner** _ **never**_ **shares!** "

Kara pursed her lips. "Why do you think that is? He's scared that you'll take over _for good_. He had a much different life before you, Hulk. And yeah, he's _still_ not sure what to expect whenever you take control, but he's willing to take that risk to protect people. You two _need_ to learn to meet each other halfway."

The Hulk slumped. Kara grabbed his hand. " _Hey_. I know you're not just a rage monster, Hulk. I _know_ you get what I'm saying."

He looked guilty, but ultimately nodded gruffly. " **Fight next week?** "

She winked. "Same time, same place. I'll be waiting."

Hulk closed his eyes, squeezing her hand. The wondrous process of growth started to revert, making him shake and groan with pain as he shrunk back into Bruce Banner's lanky form.

" _Owww_." -he whined, shaking his hand, which Kara held with some strength for a smidge too long.

"Sorry." -Kara said.

He gave her an exhausted smile. "It's ok. You handled the Hulk better than anyone I've ever seen, myself included. I'm impressed."

She shrugged. "The Venn diagram thing helped. You two are sides of the same coin, Bruce. It's time you embraced that."

He sighed. "Tell you what: give me eight hours of sleep and one of your gross, diesel-flavored energy bars, and I'll get right on that."

* * *

 **Did I do this justice? Like I said, I like how this chapter turned out, but I feel like I'm notoriously bad at fight scenes, especially punchy ones.**

 **In any case, trying to figure out where the psychology of Banner and the Hulk is at just after Avengers, but knowing something like what we see in Ragnarok is possible was fun. Mixing it with two titans punching the heck out of each other was...complicated.**

 **Speaking of Thor 3, I grabbed a lot of inspiration for the actual fight from the gladiatorial scene at Sakaar, as well as from my recent viewing of Avengers. I tried to imitate Hulk's broken speech patterns as best as I could, but I still feel like I can improve them in the future. Oh, well.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next time.**


	19. Chapter 19

**This one's a little shorter than I've gotten you used to, but think of it as a rest chapter before things start getting hectic again. Y'all better get ready!**

* * *

"I did _what_ with my fists?" -Kara asked, bewildered.

The Avengers - minus Thor and Banner, for obvious reasons - lounged on the common room, watching Stark and JARVIS break down the footage of the fight while they ate-slash-stuffed themselves full of the ridiculously abundant lunch buffet Stark had had prepared for them.

"You punched the Hulk nearly two-hundred times in three seconds, roughly sixty-five hits per second - that's five times the current _human_ world record of thirteen, mind you." -Tony said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Here, look."

He waved his hand and the holographic clip fast-forwarded, stopping at the moment Kara had pinned down the Hulk against the limestone wall. It started playing normally, then the _weirdest_ thing happened: Kara's arms became a blur, barely visible as they slammed over and over into his midsection, then slowing down into the punch that knocked him out.

"How the heck did I do _that_?" -she wondered, looking at her hands.

"I actually have a rough theory going." -Stark said. "Tough to confirm without drawing your blood - which has so far proven impossible - but it makes a lot of sense. Y'know how a burst of adrenaline will make like, a panicked mother lift a car to save her baby? I think it makes kryptonians move at _insane_ speeds."

Kara cocked her head, munching on the celebratory shawarma. "Is that why my arms feel heavy?"

"Probably, yeah."

Romanoff snorted. "Congratulations, you just exercised for the first time."

"I find it hard to believe you've never had an adrenaline burst before." -Rogers noted. "Haven't you ever been scared?"

"Clearly not enough. At least, not since I came here." -she said, thoughts of escaping a burning Krypton flitting around her head. Thinking a little harder on it, being a child on Krypton _was_ the last time she'd felt something like the simmering burn in her muscles.

Romanoff hummed. "It makes sense, if you think about it. It'd be hard for someone who's invincible to feel threatened."

Kara crossed her arms. "So then, what triggered it this time?"

"Your subconscious, maybe?" -Rogers mused. "I know that you didn't really feel threatened by the Hulk, but as soon as _we_ thought about jumping in, you _really_ lay into him. I think you were trying to end it as quickly as possible, minimizing our risk of injury."

"So she went Mama Bear on Banner's ass?" -Barton said, raising an eyebrow.

Stark pointed his burrito at him, amused. "Good thing, too. The Hulk was starting to ramp up."

"What do you mean?" -Kara asked.

"Well, the Hulk has a sort of 'base strength' - it's how powerful he is immediately after transforming. Now, your own power is based on solar energy collection, right? How much you've accrued over the years, minus what you use in flight, strength, heat vision, plus whatever you're absorbing during a fight. The Hulk's power is _entirely_ dependant on how angry he gets. The same adrenaline that apparently gives _you_ super-sonic punches, makes the Hulk _exponentially_ stronger over time." -Stark explained.

The hologram reshaped into a series of ridiculously complex equations, culminating in a graph showing an exponential curve. "The model for this is incomplete; it would need a _bit_ more testing, but you can see a rough estimate for the Hulk's increase in strength." -he said. The curve tended towards infinity, but the time required for that was literal hours of continued adrenal secretion. "Now, here's a very _conservative_ estimate of Kara's numbers under our little yellow star, based on S.H.I.E.L.D. data and what we saw today."

A second line appeared, making Kara gasp. Her strength was decidedly _not_ infinite, but the line was still _very_ high on that graph. "Like I said, this is just a projection. JARVIS and I tried to equate the level of effort you put into the fight to human levels and go from there, but as you can see, even reining the numbers back, you're...well, _up there_."

"So, can you contain him?" -Banner asked, sleepily walking into view behind them. Bruce's eyes were half-lidded, a little bruised even. He wore a purple robe - he _seriously_ liked that color - and giant fuzzy white slippers. The scientist held a piping hot cup of what must've been tea.

Stark raised an eyebrow at his exhausted gait. "Assuming the fight doesn't last a lot longer than half an hour? Yes. Well, _plausibly_. We'd need a lot of bells and whistles, but thanks to Iso-8 - the synthetic vibranium isotope which, thanks to Kara's _laser eyes_ , I can now make in _stupidly_ large quantities - I can create an armor durable enough to take the Hulk on."

Rogers perked up. " _Vibranium_? You can just _make_ that now? Howard said the world's entire supply was used up in making my shield."

The engineer gave him a sarcastic look. "Well, dad figured out _some_ stuff between the forties and the nineties, Rogers. Most of Earth's vibranium went into the alloy that makes up your shield, sure, but he theorized that more could be synthesized." -he said, tapping the arc reactor embedded on his chest. "This is it. So is the symbol on Kara's uniform. The metal plates I've designed are only about seventy-five percent as durable as _actual_ vibranium, and don't even hold a _candle_ to to your adamantium _Frisbee_ , but they're _light years_ ahead of any other alloy we've ever seen. Doesn't ice up either, which is always nice." -he joked. Only Romanoff and Rhodey seemed to get it, smirking a little.

"So the Hulkbuster is clearly gonna be a thing, but what about _her_?" -Barton asked, pointing a spare arrow at Kara.

"What _about_ her?" -Stark asked, raising an eyebrow. "You think the alien cinnamon bun is turning on us anytime soon, Barton?"

"I'm not saying she _is_ , I'm asking what we're doing if she _does_. I'm shit at science, but I _can_ read that graph." -he retorted.

Romanoff put a soothing hand to his shoulder. "It's a little early to question anyone's loyalties here, Clint."

He scoffed. "Is it? We _know_ mind control is legit, guys. What, did you already forget about last week? A fucking norse god shoved a staff in my chest and did a puppet act with my brain."

"Loki's scepter was secured after the battle." -Rogers reminded him. "Hill confirmed its arrival at the Triskelion for analysis."

"Captain, I'm not gonna hold it against you because you're the newbie, but S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't just _stare_ at the tech before sending it to the Fridge; the eggheads reverse engineer, improve, and _reproduce_. Fury has done a lot for me over the years, but his obsession with repurposing captured tech has blown up in our face _way_ too many times." -he said, begrudging. "You ask me, Thor should've taken the damn thing back to Asgard. Maybe melted it down wherever his hammer was made."

Stark pursed his lips. "I mean, Barton isn't wrong, there. You found the fascist cosplays in Fury's closet yourself, Rogers."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. _has_ made mistakes with its repurposed technologies before, but there are too many benefits _not_ to do it." -Romanoff argued. "It's the only way we could keep up with Enhanced individuals before this team existed, and believe me, we _needed_ the tech."

"You guys are kinda forgetting about the point of all this." -Bruce muttered into his tea. "The Hulk is, latest developments aside, _kind_ of a loose cannon. I _specifically_ requested the Hulkbuster be created to compensate for this. We haven't even _let Kara speak_."

Everyone turned to the blonde, who'd been watching the discussion like a tennis match. "What?" -she asked.

"It's kinda true." -Stark admitted. "We're sitting here, discussing the anti-Supergirl doomsday plot, and you haven't said a word."

Kara shrugged. "I mean, I _kinda_ did. I said I'd like to be stopped if I were to be turned, didn't I? I don't know _how_ you'd do it, but I kind of agree with agent Barton, here." -she said. Hawkeye gave her a calculating look. "I don't really wanna think about what I'd be like as the villain, but there's too much at stake to just turn a blind eye to the possibility."

They all went quiet at the admission. "So what, you want me to make _another_ armor for you?" -Stark asked, frowning.

Kara shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, Tony, your armors are awesome, but...well, unless you can make one that matches Steve's shield, I'd go with something else."

Rogers crossed his arms. "Let's table that discussion for now; like it or not, the same principle could be applied to any one of us, and discussing ways to defeat each other isn't something we're even _remotely_ ready for, as a team. This 'Hulkbuster' concept may be a priority, but I want it to be clear that it's _Banner's_. The _Avengers'_ priority has to be protecting those who cannot protect themselves. There's enough going on with this 'Project Centipede' business, anyway."

"Speaking of which, I have a bone to pick with you, Danvers." -Stark said, pointing at her with half a club sandwich. "Cute flirting with disaster aside, what the _hell_ are you _thinking_ , making plans with Luthor through _Twitter_?"

Cap raised an eyebrow. "Plans?"

Romanoff snorted. "Flirting?"

Kara blushed. "What? You gave me a secure phone, didn't you?"

" _Obviously_. I did _not_ , however, buy the social network and completely rewrite it's shitty direct messaging function. Nobody can access that phone, but the account is another thing _entirely_."

She sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't think of it like that."

The inventor shook his head. "It's... _fine_. Probably. Just, try to keep us in the loop before you go through with these things."

Kara nodded. "I will. I...guess I thought I could handle this by myself."

Rogers offered a sympathetic smile. "I have no doubt that you could, Kara. But we formed the Avengers for a reason."

The Black Widow smirked. "Working together makes things a hell of a lot easier."

"Agreed." -said Steve, who then grinned. "So then, in the interest of transparency...mind telling us about your date?"

* * *

 **As far as I know, Iso-8 has only appeared in the defunct Facebook game Marvel: Avengers Alliance, from which I draw an embarrassing amount of inspiration. In the game, it was basically an alien ore that powered up your characters' stats. Now, I was watching Iron Man 2 - which always gets a "not as bad as I remember" rating from me - and I realized that the movie specifically mentions the new element Tony rediscovers being, well, new. Then I read some theories on whether he resisted Loki's staff because of the new element being related to the energies of the Tesseract, rather than the physical obstruction of the reactor itself, and I decided to go with this headcanon.**

 **As far as the people of this Earth know, at this time, vibranium is virtually an "extinct" metal. 99% of it went into the alloy that makes Cap's shield, and the remaining 1% is kept in like, museums. There's not even enough to study. So Tony comes up with this element that chemically resembles what little is known about vibranium - absorbs/redirects energy, glows without being radioactive, etc. - but it's a couple neutrons short of actual vibranium. That's why it's called Isotope 8, and why it just _cures_ Tony's palladium poisoning in IM2. The material harmonizes especially well with organic tissue or some sciencey bull.**

 **Sorry about the rant, guys, it's 1 am. ANYWAY, I hope you enjoyed this! See you next time!**


	20. Chapter 20

"I gotta say, for a ninety-four year old man, Captain Rogers is pretty blasé about your being gay." -Rhodey said, checking the ammo reserves in the War Machine suit. "It's kind of heartwarming to know he's every bit the guy I imagined he would be."

"I'm, uh, pansexual, actually." -Kara clarified. She snapped her golden belt together, holding her skirt - a replacement, of course, the previous one beyond repair, only the cape and insignia really salvageable - in place. "But yeah, he definitely seems to be a good guy."

Barton snorted as he checked the balance on his new, Stark-made collapsible bow. "Guy's basically a human golden retriever."

"More of a german shepherd, if you ask me." -Romanoff said, casually leaning against the wall, already suited up and ready. "Kind if he likes you, hell if he doesn't - just ask Nazi Germany. Really, the thing that surprised me the most is his dedication to the job; I don't think I've seen him out of uniform since the Battle."

The archer rolled his eyes. "You call it a job, he'd call it _duty_. He hadn't even been conscious for a day after the ice, and he'd already sold his soul to Fury."

"I can't really say I blame him. All he really knew before he went under was the Army, right?" -Kara asked, slipping into her boots. "S.H.I.E.L.D. must've seemed like the closest thing to home, seventy years later."

Natasha hummed. "Is that why _you_ stayed with the Danvers? Familiarity?"

Kara shook her head after a moment. "No, it's not. I know Fury studied my parents' profile from the pod and tried to match them as best he could in my step-parents, but they're not the reason. Jeremiah and Eliza have been great to me, but I could never see them as a substitute for my mom and dad."

"So then, Alex?"

"I guess, yeah. I had a lot of cousins on Krypton, but...never a sibling. I don't think my parents wanted another kid, and they probably had the clout to get around the Empire's genetic pool contribution requirements."

Rhodey shook his head. "I guess you guys are used to this sort of thing, but... _wow_ , you really _are_ an alien."

Kara smirked. "You _bet_ I am."

"Hate to break it to you Rhodes, but we're not exactly used to it either - she's only the third alien we've ever seen." -Barton said. "Not counting the robot-gorilla-lizard army Loki threw at us, obviously. S.H.I.E.L.D. usually deals with more mundane things, like international black markets and illegal human enhancement."

" _That's_ mundane?"

"The alien stuff is _really_ rare, is what he's getting at." -Natasha confirmed.

Rhodey raised an eyebrow. "But there _has_ been more, right? Roswell type stuff?"

The agents looked at each other. "Well...there was this story. Our handler used to have Fury as his supervising officer back in the Academy, and _Fury's_ handler was _there_. She was at the crash, but it wasn't in New Mexico." -Barton said.

"Roswell was the cover story - typical misdirection tactic, cover up something big with something _bigger_ but _fake_. People ate the 'little grey men' story up, so S.H.I.E.L.D. got to handle the actual crash with zero interference." - Romanoff explained.

"What did they find?" -Kara asked.

"Kree." -Barton said. "That's what the big guy called himself before he died. Eight feet of angry blue muscle."

Rhodey hummed. "Most of the guys I've flown with over the years have stories, y'know? UFO squads at night, all over the world...it's nice to know they're not all full of it."

"Oh, I bet most of them are." -Romanoff said, amused. "Honestly, most of the time it's just the retro-reflective panels on the Helicarrier glitching, or the sun glinting off a Quinjet. Like I said, aliens just don't seem all that interested in our planet."

"I wonder why the Kree guy crashed here, then." -Kara wondered aloud. "My pod failed because it exited the Phantom Zone _inside_ Earth's atmosphere, but it still landed safely."

"Oh no, this guy had been shot." -Barton recalled. "Coulson said he saw the ship once, and it was full of holes. Laser burns, or whatever."

Kara perked up. "Coulson? He's your handler? I remember him! He was _super_ nice to me. About the only S.H.I.E.L.D. agent I like, besides my sister." -she said, then blushed. "Oh, and you two, obviously."

Barton sighed. "...yeah, that sounds like Coulson alright."

"Coulson is dead." -Romanoff said, emotionless. "Loki murdered him last monday, aboard the Helicarrier."

Kara gasped. "Oh gosh...oh _Rao_...I had _no idea_. I'm so sorry."

"Thanks." -he said, twirling an arrow between his fingers. "Y'know, it just _figures_ he'd know you. He made it his _thing_ to meet all the weirdos, even if Fury didn't explicitly send him."

Romanoff crossed her arms, amused. "Careful, Barton. Kara might get the impression that you don't like her."

"Seriously? How am I supposed to like her already? I've _barely_ met her. Hell, all of you barely know each other, and you're already acting like the best of friends. It hasn't even been a week, it's _weird_."

"Fighting together is the best glue you could ask for, man." -Rhodes said. "Even if it was just training, something like facing the Hulk will always bring a team closer together. Plus, I knew Tony and Natasha here beforehand." -he shrugged.

"Tony, Steve, and I fought Sue, Ben, and Johnny, remember?" -Kara reminded them.

"And _I_ knew everyone already. So it's not so as weird for us as it would be for you, Clint." -Natasha said. "Give it time, these knuckleheads grow on you."

Hawkeye put the arrow back in his automatic quiver. "Guess we'll see. Speaking of mushy team bonding crap, Kara, your punches are _fucking terrible_." -he said, crossing his arms. "And I don't just mean you lack _any_ kind of technique or training; I'm saying you're _actually_ gonna kill someone with them if you keep it up."

"Wording aside, he's right." -Romanoff said. "You _always_ throw closed-fist punches - and I get it, it's what the movies show you, but there's a lot more to hand to hand combat than that. With the amount of force you're putting out, you _need_ to spread out the power as much as you can. Otherwise, you're hitting someone with a cannonball or worse every time you punch."

Kara winced. Mindless though they were, she _had_ killed hundreds of Chitauri drones with her punches alone. Thinking about doing the same to a human brought back horrific thoughts of seeing her fellow kryptonians slaughtered before her eyes. "So then, what do I do?" -she asked.

"Open your damn palms, Danvers." -Barton said, slightly exasperated. "Unless you're ready to take a life, _shove_ people, don't just punch them. That should be more than enough, anyway."

She studied her hands. "Okay. I'll try to do that, Agent Barton."

He seemed to relax somewhat. "One more thing...do me a favor and drop the 'Agent Barton' shit, will ya? If we're gonna do this avenging thing, you might as well call me Clint."

Kara smiled. "I will."

"This is beautiful." -Rhodes said, amused. "But we should _really_ get on with the mission. Clock's ticking on your date."

The kryptonian scoffed, but nodded. " _Right_. So, let's go over the plan again."

* * *

"The plan is simple." -Rogers said, gesturing at the top of a hologram of OsCorp. "Supergirl and Spider-Man will meet up with Ms. Luthor atop OsCorp Tower, and assess the situation. War Machine will provide aerial cover and reconnaissance, while Hawkeye and Black Widow infiltrate the building and provide back-up, if necessary."

"Where will you three be?" -Barton asked, nodding at Rogers, Stark, and Banner.

"Cap and I have a lovely evening planned, meeting New York's underground vigilante network." -Stark said, pointing back at a stack of cases, containing some of his tech. "See if they're worth this gesture of goodwill. Murdock hooked us up, but I'm, like, ninety percent sure his pals aren't gonna show."

"You really think so?" -Kara asked.

"They're underground for a reason." -Romanoff said. "Most likely this'll be just the Devil assessing our trustworthiness, since he seems to have taken up some kind of _de facto_ leading role among the vigilantes."

"I'm not going, by the way." -Banner raised his hand a bit. "I don't think anyone in Harlem wants to see me, so I'll be staying here. Miss Storm wanted a tour of the labs, anyway."

Kara perked up. "Oh! I didn't know she was up and about."

"Doctor Cho gave 'em all a clean bill of health, so they've been running around, checking the Tower out." -Stark said, amused. "JARVIS has been keeping an eye out, but it's really not needed. Just a bunch of dorks with superpowers, honestly."

Barton snorted. "Isn't that, like, _our entire deal_?"

"No, no - we're dorks with superpowers _and_ some kick-ass gear." -Stark said. "Speaking of which, may I direct your attention to the tiny Avenger symbols on your new suits?"

Kara searched for hers, finding it right on her cuff, just beyond her hand. "What do they do?" -she asked.

"Just press the tiny button, Danvers."

She did, and her whole suit seemed to shift for a moment, turning from royal blue to a muted dark grey, the vibrant reds and golds turning matte black. " _Whoa_. What is this?"

"Stealth mode." -Romanoff said, her eyebrow raised. Her catsuit didn't seem to have changed, but then she put her hand on the silver table, and the leather-like material immediately matched the color. "How'd you pull this off, Stark?"

He closed off the helmet. " _For once in my life,_ I _didn't_." -he said. His armor had turned black where it had been red before, just like Kara's, and the bright blue lights of his eyes and chest were now a barely glowing red tint. Every surface had become opaque, losing all of its usual metallic shine. " _Sue said Reed calls them 'unstable molecules'. Dumb name, since it's really just pre-programmed graphene chains, but they do the trick. It's how Johnny keeps from going nude every time he 'flames on', and how Sue can become completely invisible without being naked as well._ "

"I think I prefer my usual colors." -Kara said, pressing the barely visible Avengers logo again. "But I have to admit, this is _really cool_."

"Useful, too." -Rogers admitted, returning his own uniform to normal. "Good job, Tony."

" _Yeah, yeah. Just try not to get hit too much, the graphene film is like three nanometers thick so it won't hold up to much abuse._ "

"It's settled, then. Keep in contact at all times." -Steve said, then nodded. "Good luck, everyone."


	21. Chapter 21

Rain poured down like crazy, rivulets of it flowing down Kara's blonde locks. She touched down atop OsCorp Tower, where Spider-Man waited, chatting up Lena under the large, black umbrella she held.

"Hey, you two." -she said, pulling her hair back into a messy ponytail.

Lena offered a small wave, while Peter practically bounced in greeting. "Hey Kara!" -Spidey said. " _Yikes_ , you're sopping wet."

She frowned, trying to squeeze under the umbrella. "Aren't _you_? It's been raining non-stop for a couple of hours."

He shook his head. "Nope! Well, yeah, actually, before you got here. Lena helped me figure out that Mr. Stark implemented this heating function into the suit though, so I dried up super quick."

"How'd you guys figure _that_ out? I don't think mine does anything like it."

Lena smirked. "I just asked the question - couldn't imagine Stark hadn't thought of everything this kid would need. The _suit_ _lady_ told him how."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, the 'suit lady'?"

"Oh yeah! I started messing around with the settings on this thing and figured out I have a friend in here." -he said, rapping his knuckles against his temple. "I guess JARVIS has a little sister, now. We called her Karen." -he said, a smile in his voice. "She says hi, by the way."

The kryptonian waved back, absent-minded. "I didn't know Stark had produced an AI, let alone two." -Lena said, curious. "What would the ethics commissions say?"

Kara snorted. "They're already on his case, aren't they?"

"Yes, well, blowing up half the Middle East in the pursuit of peace will do that, won't it?" -she said, sarcastic. "I can't argue with the results, but I have to say, you've teamed up with some _surprisingly_ barbaric individuals, Kara."

"They're good people, Lena. Spend any amount of time with them and you'll pick up on it quick." -she said, defensive.

"Everyone on your team has taken _multiple_ lives, and I'm _not_ talking about the army of cosmic cube obsessed drones you curbstomped last monday."

She winced. "Not me. I wouldn't."

"Not _yet_."

Kara frowned. "Why are you so insistent on this?"

She crossed her arms, worried. "Can you blame me? You used to be something of an idealist when I met you. Almost a pacifist, even. Seeing you fighting alongside these... _killers_ , justified or not, it's as jarring to me as the thought of me performing illegal human experimentation was to you."

"I _highly_ doubt that." -Kara said, crossing her arms. "I _do_ get your point, Lena. The thing is, though, I was never really a pacifist by _choice_. I grew up in a borderline fascist society, remember? If I held myself back the last eight years, it's because I didn't want to hurt the _wrong_ people, not because I truly think violence is never the answer. That doesn't mean I want to go too far, though. We formed a team to _protect_ people, after all, not to _kill_ them."

Lena raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you should've named yourselves the Defenders, then." -she said, then sighed. "At least tell me you understand, Kara. What you've gotten into with the Avengers...lives _will_ be lost. Either because you were unable to save them, or because to save some you'll have to _take_ them."

Kara's lips thinned. "I've already made my fair share of fatal mistakes. Believe me, I understand."

"I hope you do. _Both_ of you, for all our sakes." -she said, making Peter shrink a little. "Though honestly, I don't think any of us really have any idea of what we're dealing with. Speaking of which, let's go into the belly of the beast."

Supergirl nodded. "We're going inside, then?"

"Yes, we are. A quick stop by my office and then on to the lower levels. I do have a suggestion though, before we go." -Lena said. "You should hand your phone over to Peter, here."

Parker sputtered. "W-what do you mean? Who's Peter?"

Luthor gave him a withering look. "You briefly went missing while visiting OsCorp, interned at OsCorp until last week, your girlfriend is _still_ an OsCorp intern, and I used to share _an OsCorp lab with your parents_." -she listed off, counting with her fingers. "I may not have known about the experiments that led to your powers, but I _can_ put a couple of facts together, Peter."

"Gwen and I aren't together!" -he said, embarrassed. Kara facepalmed, as he cocked his head. "Wait, you knew my parents?"

Lena and Kara shared a tired look. "So much for keeping your identity a secret. How does this keep happening?" -Kara noted.

Peter winced, one of his bug-like eyes narrowing. "Oops...but, I mean, Lena had figured it out already anyway, right?"

"It's _your_ identity, Pete. Don't look at me, mine couldn't be more public if I tried." -Kara said, shrugging. "Why do you want me to give him the phone?" -she asked Lena.

Her counterpart shook her head at Peter's antics. "Accountability, mainly. Your social media accounts already have millions of followers, which means millions of _eyes_ on us, and thus on whatever we do. Where we're going, we'll need them. Peter's job, then, is to document this mission."

Parker gasped. "Oh, _cheese_. You guys are in for a _lot_ of selfies!"

"You don't think S.H.I.E.L.D. will get mad that we're putting this stuff out there? They don't appreciate secrets like these coming to light." -Kara asked.

Lena shrugged. "Frankly, I couldn't care less what they think - nor should you, considering you defied their Index practices to fight the Chitauri. More importantly though, the need to expose Centipede on our terms supersedes any concern they might have about keeping the status quo. Now, I assume more of your teammates are nearby?" -she asked.

Kara pursed her lips. "...yeah, just in case. War Machine is patrolling above us. Hawkeye and Widow should be somewhere in the building."

The irish-born woman sighed. "I'd rather you have brought Rogers and Stark, but I suppose the rookies will have to do."

"Geez, Lena, what the heck did you find?" -Peter asked.

Lena motioned for them to follow her inside. "Centipede." -she said, leaving the umbrella just inside the service door. "Not their only lab, I assume, but one of the most important ones. And they _just_ had a major breakthrough."

Kara stepped inside, handing Peter the phone. Before she could even think of unlocking the fingerprint lock for him, he had already snapped a selfie with them all. "Karen asked JARVIS to unlock it." -he clarified.

* * *

 _ **Avengers**_

 _ **guess whos taken over this acct for a MISHUNNN!**_

 _ **[Annexed: A self portrait of Spider-Man's mask with an amused Lena Luthor and a confused Supergirl in the background. Tagged: SpiderMan; Lena_Luthor]**_

* * *

The blonde shook her head. "You were saying? What's Centipede _really_ doing here?"

"You were right on the money, when you came to visit before. Someone at OsCorp is _desperately_ trying to reproduce the effects of Doctor Erskine's serum. This goes far beyond the usual attempt at creating super soldiers, though." -Lena said, as they stepped into the elevator. "Over the years, OsCorp has attempted to gain the government's favor through many a project intended for military use. VTOL prototypes, experimental exo-skeletons - nothing as fancy as Stark's armors of course - particle blasters, plasma grenades, you name it. Most of these projects have ended in failure, or have turned out unfeasibly expensive, even for the US military's seemingly unending cash reserves."

Kara hummed. "They're not just creating the super soldier army, they're _equipping it_." -she surmised.

"They're _trying_ , at the very least. There's only so much they can do with funding discrete enough for me not to notice, and a lack of viable super soldiers. The latter problem they've almost solved, however." -she said, somewhat dismayed. The elevator opened, and they all made a beeline for Lena's office. Kara absently noted that she hadn't seen a single OsCorp employee yet.

"The Chitauri invasion was obviously devastating, but it was also a treasure trove of new tech. I imagine the black markets are filled to the brim with alien weaponry and other such parafernalia."

Kara grimly nodded. "Alex has been working around the clock to keep the worst of it out of the wrong hands."

Lena quickly swiped a card against the wall beside her office's doors, but nothing happened. She huffed, annoyed. "Either of you fancy destroying some private property?"

"Honor's all mine." -Supergirl smirked, punching the bulletproof crystal. It might as well not have been there, for all the resistance it put up.

"This is _awesome_." -Peter said, giddy.

"Between your earlier visit and now, should I be worried that your sidekick is developing a taste for wanton destruction?" -Lena asked, sarcastic. Kara could've sworn Peter whispered something about being a sidekick in amazement. "Anyway, as I was saying, Chitauri technology has spread like wildfire since monday. Unfortunately, the flames have reached Project Centipede. As I understand it, they've taken to stripping the aliens' corpses of several key components, including their neural links and something they call a 'techno-organic fluid regulator'."

Kara frowned. "I'm guessing it has something to do with how they kept the Chitauri alive, even through all the cybernetic enhancements."

"No kidding. Those guys were more machine than gorilla-lizard men." -Peter said, shivering a bit.

Lena approached her desk, then knelt behind it. "How'd you figure all of this out, Lena? We found out about Centipede, but you seem to know a lot more than even the Avengers." -Peter asked.

The raven-haired woman rose, smiling wickedly. She held a somewhat flattened, segmented, cylindrical object about the size of her forearm, filled with a strange, green-orange fluid. "I broke into their secret underground lab yesterday." -she said, triumphant.

Kara paled. "You _what_? _Why_ would you do that?"

"I told you I'd get to the bottom of it, didn't I? Those bastards thought they could get away with doing all this crap right under my nose. I wanted to see how bad it was for myself, before I called anything in." -she said, her long unused irish accent coming through a little.

"You could've gotten seriously hurt, Lena. Heck, they could've killed you!" -Kara said, a little anguished.

"That is very true." -Lena admitted. "And yet, here I am, holding their sole dose of viable Centipede serum."

Kara balked. "You took that from them!?"

"If I hadn't, their first prototype would already be out there, wreaking havoc." -Lena defiantly stated. "This morning would've marked its test flight, striking while the Avengers were out of town - but without _this_ , they couldn't do a thing. Their potentially doped up soldier was grounded."

" _Test flight?_ Wait, they _knew_ we'd be gone?" -Kara asked, bewildered.

"Uh, guys, should we be worried about that?" -Peter asked, pointing behind Lena. Kara walked past the other woman, staring out into the night.

Ahead, above the other high rises, Kara could barely make out a series of small explosions lighting up the stormy night. "Rhodes…" -Kara gasped. "Something's attacking the War Machine."

"A _lot_ of somethings." -Lena noted.

Kara tapped the comm in her ear. "Rhodes, are you there?"

There was no response - not even a hint of static. "My comm's dead. What's Karen telling you, Peter?" -she asked.

Parker hummed for a second, as if listening, then his eyes widened all the way. " **MOVE!** " -he shouted, shooting a web at Lena and pulling her back. Kara only had a second to turn towards the window, before a bright light slammed through the window and into her, instantly exploding.

The next few seconds were a blur, Kara shaking her head and rising from under the pile of rubble that had once been the CEO's office. What she saw made her blood run cold; a massive, looming armored figure pointing what looked like a _minigun_ at Peter and Lena.

"You...you're supposed to be _dead_." -Kara said, shocked. The profile was taller, more streamlined, and the armor was now green and silver, but there was no mistaking it.

The figure turned, eerily familiar glowing eyes staring her down. " _Stane is._ " -the renewed Iron Monger said, turning the spinning gun towards her. " _But he had some good ideas_."

A stream of hot lead rained on her, the sheer amount of firepower pushing her back slightly. Kara stumbled, but managed to line up a shot at the spinning barrels, immediately setting them ablaze with her heat vision.

The pilot stared at the semi-molten piece lf slag mounted on his forearm and grunted, lunging toward her with a monstrous punch. Kara crossed her arms and blocked it, wincing from the effort - her arms still felt heavy and pained from the morning's outburst.

Peter joined the fray then, jumping on top of the man's back and pulling his arms back with his webs. Kara spared a moment to wonder at Spider-Man's sheer strength, then tackled the massive silver-blue armature, pushing at its chest and jabbing at its midsection until she rendered all three of them airborne. She pulled back, floating just ahead of the gaping hole in OsCorp Tower, yelping when one of Spidey's webs caught her hand. She pulled it up, _hard_ , making Peter fly past her.

Rolling her eyes, Kara looked around for the Iron Monger, but didn't find any sign of him. Peter dangled upside down beside her. "Was that who I think it was?" -he asked, scared.

"Obadiah Stane's armor...someone recreated it." -Kara confirmed, dismayed.

"Improved upon it, too." -Lena said, behind them. She had a small cut on her left cheek, likely from the missile's explosion, but otherwise seemed just fine. "I don't know if you noticed, but you beat it back, and it didn't even get dented."

"Its chest light was blue, too." -Peter noted. "It wasn't white like Iron Man's."

"Let's keep moving." -Kara said. "The sooner we get what we're here for, the sooner I can get back out here and help Rhodey out."

Behind them, the sound of crushed wood, glass, and metal came. The Iron Monger had returned, emerging from the demolished elevator shaft. " _No need to worry about the Colonel. He's just a little busy with our distraction._ " -the figure claimed. " _Now, hand over the serum._ "

Kara scowled. "Get Lena out of here, Spider-Man!"

He charged again, this time aiming for Lena. Kara dove for her, grabbing her arm and throwing her towards Peter as gently as she could manage. Lena still yelped a little, but Kara smiled, triumphant. Her victory didn't last long, as the villain encircled her torso, throwing her back towards the void left where the elevator had been. Rocket-propelled grenades hit her as she struggled to stay upright - shoulder, chest, and abdomen - but they only managed to push her back slightly. Clearly annoyed, the Iron Monger rocket-jumped, intending to stomp her down, but Kara was ready this time, grabbing the armor's leg and turning 180° to throw him _through the floor_.

Wasting no time, Kara dove in through the hole, landing in front of the struggling behemoth. She kicked at its knee, but again, it did not warp or bend, only moved. Frustrated, she wound up her arm and _punched_ , sending the man hurtling against a nearby wall.

Her fist had found the armor plates just under where the arc reactor should be, and this time, the metal _did_ react - not by breaking, but by glowing blue, the same color as that in the middle of his chest.

" _It's no good, is it? This model got the Phase 2 treatment, Supergirl. S.H.I.E.L.D. showered the armor with the cube's energy -_ infinite _energy - so it's not gonna break anytime soon_ " -the man said. " _Seems like the Girl of Steel can't beat good old titanium. I'll admit, I can't beat you, either. We've reached an impasse._ "

Kara pondered this information, lowering her arms. "Maybe so. If not Stane, who are you?

The hulking mech mirrored her relaxed pose. " _Name's Andrew Stockwell. Just a mercenary, really._ _Centipede pays well - and I gotta admit, this thing is_ fun _._ "

"You stole the armor?"

The man hummed, and the armor's chest opened up. Andrew couldn't be older than twenty-five, eastern european without the accent, built like a log. He seemed...bored. "Not stolen. Salvaged, from the wreckage of Project Pegasus. The Titanium Man, they called it. Clearly, Tony Stark was not their first choice in rock 'em-sock 'em bots."

Kara snorted. "I see you didn't keep the moniker. Too good for Iron Monger 2.0?"

He snorted. "I think they're both dumb. My superiors, however, respect Stane's legacy. I suppose he did much for Centipede's growth, after all."

Kara frowned. "Stane died almost _two years_ ago. How exactly did he help you guys?"

"Funding. Project Centipede has been decades in the making, and that requires money. The experiments, the gear, the muscle - that's _me_ \- Stane's underhanded sales provided for most of it."

"And the 'distraction' outside?"

"Didn't you hear? Justin Hammer made bail a few days ago."

Kara winced. "Well, I guess I appreciate the honesty. Why are you answering all my questions?"

"Centipede is about to go public, Supergirl. Frankly, I don't even think they need the serum they sent me to get. It's their best cocktail, sure, but they have a _lot_ of _mostly_ functional versions, all over the world. I could walk away from this fight and nothing about what's coming next would change."

"Why fight, then?"

"Like I said, the money's good. Beyond that, though, I'll tell you this: I might not be on the right side of this fight, but I _am_ on the side that's going to survive. Your families, your Avengers, even those vigilantes you're trying to recruit...they're all targets. Anyone that gets in Centipede's way, really. So, regardless of what I think about what you've done for this city, this _planet_...I've got a job to do."

The armor closed back up. " _I'm assuming you don't know where Luthor and the serum are. I'm blocking the comms, after all. So, on to the secondary objective: Centipede would like to know what makes you tick, kryptonian_."

Kara felt her stomach drop. "How do you know the name of my species? That isn't publicly available information."

He smirked. " _Ah. Caught that one, did you? Now_ that _one I can't answer. Don't worry about it - you'll find out sooner or later_. _Now, be a dear and stand still_."

In about half a second, Titanium Man's chest glowed impossibly bright, a beam shot forth from it, and Kara's world went dark.

* * *

 **I've been re-watching Agents of SHIELD to keep my facts straight with this story. It's better than I remember!**

 **Just to clarify, there is a limit to how much punishment Titanium Man can take. The actual Tesseract may have infinite energy, but the objects it has charged up don't. More over, it's not the actual metal that's resisting Kara's blows, but rather a protective film, much like that around the portal generator in Avengers. I think it's justified that Kara couldn't easily break through that, since neither Stark nor Thor could.**

 **See you next time!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Buckle up, ladies and gents, this ride is picking up speed.**

* * *

Kara was...no longer in OsCorp Tower.

She sat up, pushing the twisted remains of an office desk - heck, most of an office _floor_ , thankfully empty - off of her. She looked down at her midsection, where the beam had hit, and raised an eyebrow as she saw her soot-covered abs; the blast had _vaporized_ a part of her suit, and her belt and skirt had been lost somewhere between the Tower - which she could see in the distance - and whatever building she'd landed on.

Lena would probably get a kick out of this. She used to roll her eyes every time Kara complained that the girls in those anime shows the brunette liked to watch always seemed to randomly lose their clothing. Fortunately, she wasn't quite in Tamaranean princess territory yet.

Kara tapped her comm. "Anyone on this frequency?"

The signal crackled to life. " _Supergirl! Man, am I glad to hear you._ " -Rhodey said.

She smiled. "Glad to hear from you, too. We saw you get attacked, but we got ambushed before we could think to do anything to help."

He grunted. " _Makes sense. I lost your signal, then got jumped by a squad of heavily upgraded Hammer drones. Not sure if this is Centipede, but these guys were ready for us._ "

Kara grimaced, floating out of the damaged building. "Oh, it's Centipede alright. We got hit by a guy in a _very_ familiar suit of armor calling himself Titanium Man. He claimed he was hired muscle for them."

" _Oof. Tony's gonna be thrilled about that one. You ok? I saw you get blasted right out of OsCorp._ "

She snorted. "He shot me with a bunch of Tesseract energy, so the costume's a little busted, but yeah, I'm good. I need to get back to Spidey and Lena, can you handle the drones by yourself?"

Rhodey whistled. " _Yeah, don't worry about me. They're a lot tougher than they used to be, but hey, so am I. Only about six or so left - I'm trying to draw them away from the city so I can really bust out the arsenal, but they're not taking the bait._ "

"Tony and Steve, they know?"

" _Couldn't tell you. Can't reach JARVIS at the Tower, and they're not answering either. We're on our own...unless you wanna bring in S.H.I.E.L.D._ "

Kara frowned. "I'm not sure we should do that. Honestly, I'm starting to think there's something fishy going on with them; between the whole convoy mess the other day, and the fact that today's bad guy owes his superpowers to S.H.I.E.L.D., the coincidences are starting to mount. So, I guess we _are_ on our own." -she said, sighing. "I'm gonna try and find Romanoff and Barton. Join me when you're done, alright? Lena said Centipede had some kind of lab under OsCorp, so head there."

" _Roger that. Give 'em hell, flygirl._ "

Supergirl smirked, then soared towards the black skyscraper. The damage from the fight didn't look too bad; only about six of the floors around Lena's office seemed in need of repairs, and none of them were on fire, thankfully. She flew in through the exit hole she'd made, finding the place empty as expected, then made her way to the remains of the CEO's office. Again, no one.

Kara pursed her lips; clearly, Centipede had expected them coming. Maybe they _had_ hacked into the Avengers' account, maybe not. In any case, they _knew_ she'd be here...but they weren't ready for her, were they? Kara was willing to bet that Titanium Man's Tesseract-boosted Unibeam - say _that_ three times fast - was his trump card, and the worst it'd done to her was ruin another suit. An extended fight would not go well for Centipede if Stockwell was all they were gonna throw at them.

She floated all the way to the empty space in the middle of the tower, lowering herself as she scanned every floor - all empty, without exemption. Had Lena sent everyone home beforehand? Maybe _that's_ how they'd figured out Kara would be coming.

Eventually, she reached the lobby. She smirked to herself when she noticed several red splotches from their earlier visit, but otherwise, she found nothing. Kara looked around, then closed her eyes. Her hearing was a bit better than humans were capable of, so she tried to focus and pick any strange sounds out the background.

Kara could hear the bustle of ambulances, firemen, and police arriving and setting up outside, as well as the crackle of exposed wires and settling debris from the fight above. After a few seconds, she heard a strange series of _whoosh_ sounds, like someone was waving a lightsaber around.

She opened her eyes and looked at her feet - the sound was coming from beneath the lobby. Kara rushed to the elevators, finding the one that had gotten trashed in the tussle with Stockwell. She - accidentally - ripped the doors out, then peered inside. She could barely make the sparking remains of the elevator at the suspiciously distant bottom, as well as the sounds of fighting below.

Floating into the shaft led her a few dozen feet down, to where the scuffle sounded closest. More carefully this time, she opened the doors, and stepped out, almost immediately running into a heavily armed woman.

The woman turned and their eyes met, then she levelled her rifle and shot her point-blank, a handful of rounds bouncing harmlessly off her chest and abdomen. Annoyed, Kara grabbed her weapon, tore it from her grasp, and broke it over her knee. The mercenary then tried to punch her, but she was quicker and - remembering Barton's earlier admonishment - struck her chest with an open palm.

She still flew a bit, crashing against a nearby wall and crumpling into an unconscious pile. Kara shook her head, then followed the route the woman had been taking.

As she got closer to the sounds of battle, she began to see dead bodies - some shot, others stuck with arrows, and even a couple whose torsos looked _burned_. Kara winced, but forced herself to keep going, eventually reaching a large, open-plan lab. The place was almost completely trashed, owing to the tussle at the center of it: Romanoff and Barton, a little weary and battle-damaged, trying to get past a woman wielding a pair of familiar electric whips.

Rhodey was right; Tony was going to be _livid_. The black-haired woman was clearly young, slender and acrobatic. Her armor was a step above the barebones rig Ivan Vanko had used to try and assassinate Stark in Monaco, covering her face, arms, chest, and legs, but she was clearly in over her head; though she'd obviously kept the spies at bay, she was well on her way to becoming a porcupine, arrows sticking out between the armored plates. Her whips were interesting; in the span of half a minute, she retracted and straightened one of them to form a sort of rod or sword she used to fight at close range, and coiled the other one to form a shield with which she seemed to deflect bullets, then turned them back into whips for long range attacks.

Kara decided to stop staring and charged in, but the woman saw her coming, lashing out at her with a whip. Kara almost rolled her eyes, catching the searing, plasma coated weapon with her hand, but her annoyance turned to surprise when her foe turned up the volts. Pain flared throughout her body, lighting up every nerve ending and sending them into overdrive. She screamed, unable to let go of the whip, but the torment ceased, as suddenly as it had begun. Kara opened her eyes, and saw that Romanoff had used the opening to knock her back.

"You okay?" -Barton asked, walking up to her. His nose looked bruised, possibly broken, and his quiver was absent, but otherwise, he looked disturbingly nonchalant.

"Okay is a little relative, at the moment." -Kara groaned. "I've had a zap like that before; it doesn't really do any damage, but it _does_ hurt like a...well, it just _hurts_."

Barton gave her an annoyed look. "You _can_ curse, y'know?"

She grumbled. "Don't wanna."

"Give it a supervillain or two." -he said. "Where are your pals?"

Kara frowned. "You haven't seen them?"

He pursed his lips. "Yeah, a few minutes ago. They came down here, so we followed them, but this girl and the mercs outside intercepted us."

"What about Titanium Man? Was he following them?"

Barton raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell is Titanium Man?"

Kara pointed at her abdomen. "The reason I'm rocking a crop top? S.H.I.E.L.D. salvaged and upgraded Obadiah Stane's armor, called it Titanium Man. The guy blasted me with the power of the Tesseract."

"Oh. Is that what they called it?" -he said, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I remember that thing. An offshoot of the Pegasus Project. I was assigned there before the whole Loki shit-fest."

" _Barton!_ " -Romanoff shouted, narrowly avoiding the woman's whips. "Get your ass... _back_ _here_...or I'm giving Kate...your new toy!"

Hawkeye clutched his new bow - currently in staff form - possessively. " _Mine_." -he muttered, then turned to Kara. "Luthor and the kid probably went all the way down to the basement. Go, we'll hold the high tech dominatrix off."

Kara pursed her lips. "You sure?"

He shrugged. "She's already lost. We're just trying to bring her in without, y'know, _killing her_."

 _Not like that stopped you from doing the mooks in_ , she thought sourly. "Okay. Try to keep in touch."

"Comms are busted!" -he reminded her as he rejoined the fray.

"I _know_! I _also_ know who's busting them." -she said, determined. "I'm just gonna have to knock him the _eff_ out."

She flew off, retracing her path to the elevator shaft. The woman from before was, in fact still breathing - she checked before jumping back into the tunnel. A couple dozen feet of free fall later, she found herself landing on the remains of the elevator, which partially blocked the exit. She ripped the largest intact piece of the elevator - the bottom, maybe? - away, creating a large enough opening for her to pass.

If the large underground lab had been a little jarring, what she found in OsCorp's basement was twice as strange. Beneath the obsidian monolith lay a small tram station, occupied by a dozen of the same mercenaries she'd found above.

"Um...hi." -she said, as they all levelled their weapons at her. "Those don't really work on me, so...why don't you save the ammo instead and tell me what you're doing here?"

The leader, a grizzled man in his fifties, curled his lip at her. " _Cross her off_."

Supergirl crossed her arms resignedly as a hail of bullets smacked into her. Half a minute later, they were all out, and started reloading. " _Listen to me_." -she said, calmly walking towards them. "There is _literally_ nothing you can do that I'll even feel, so just _drop your weapons_."

"Light her up, damn it!"

The mercs shot her again. Kara kept walking, unfazed. "What is she, the _fucking_ _Terminator_?" -one of the mercs asked as he depleted his ammo.

" _Guys_." -she said, pitying. " _Clearly_ , you guys had no idea what you were signing up for. Seriously, bullets for an Avenger? What if Iron Man had come through the door? Same difference, people."

"Wait a goddamn minute. You're an Avenger?" -the leader asked, slowly stepping forward.

She showed them the little symbol on her wrist. "It's almost been a whole week. Don't you guys follow the news?"

He shook his head. "Be hard to do that. We guard their labs and compounds 24/7. Hell, none of us are even from the same base."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"We probably shouldn't be talking to her about this, boss." -said a timid younger woman, at the tram's controls.

The guy shrugged. "Fuck it, Mary. They're not paying us enough for this, anyway." -he said. "Listen, kid. Centipede has a shit-ton of little bases - labs, mostly - here and there. They pulled _me_ from Morelia, but the techie back there is stationed in Los Angeles. Smith and Morgan came from Vienna, García's posted in Austin...you get the idea."

"What did they tell you about this mission?"

"Two squads. Breach OsCorp, grab a metal container full of orange fluid from the CEO's office. Shouldn't be any opposition, the place is supposed to be closed for inspection or some shit." -he recited. "Of course, then the freak in the spider costume and the hot brunette took the serum and ran, which is why we're here, playing catch-up."

Kara scowled. "And the Enhanced? Titanium Man and Whiplash?"

He grunted in disgust. "Couple of nutjobs, you ask me. The chick with the whips, she's doped up with one of their serums. Fucking liability, honestly, glad she wasn't assigned to my squad. Then again, we got sidled with the lazy asshole in the powered armor, so maybe _they're_ the lucky ones."

 _Well, at least you're alive_ , she thought. "Then you didn't have any clue we'd be here." -she surmised.

"Nope."

Kara hummed. "Well, thanks for the info." -she said, then struck the leader into his comrades. Those still standing desperately shot at her, but she took them down in seconds, even before their clips ran out. The only person left conscious was the merc cowering beneath the controls. "Oh God, don't kill me! I'm on your side!"

Kara crossed her arms. "I _don't_ kill. Your squadmates are just unconscious." -she said. "What do you mean, you're on my side, Mary?"

"Mary? Oh, the alias. _Well_ , it used to be my name, back in the orphanage. No, call me Skye." -she said, a little less terrified. "And I mean what I said, I really am on your side. Our mutual friend in Hell's Kitchen asked me to look into OsCorp a while back."

The kryptonian raised an eyebrow. "Okay, _Skye_...you're the hacker he mentioned?"

She scrunched her nose at that. "I prefer the word _hacktivist_. But yeah, I'm her. Matt asked me to dig into OsCorp's files, and that led me to one of the Centipede labs in L.A., which I, well, infiltrated."

Kara scoffed. "You _infiltrated_ Centipede?"

"Hey, we all have our talents, alright? I might not be indestructible like you, but I can fake any ID and sell some fake interest in making super soldiers pretty well." -she said, defensive. "Besides, _I'm_ not the one making battle plans over Twitter."

The blonde frowned. "How do you know about that?"

Skye sighed. "Long story short, I proved myself useful to Centipede, and they asked me to look into S.H.I.E.L.D., and then the Avengers, since monday. I only gave them non-essential stuff, don't worry - not that I could get past Stark's AI, anyway - but then you went and planned your date with Luthor, so I had to get creative. They were already mad about the missing serum, so it didn't take much to push them to rush this whole operation to the night both you and Spidey would be here. I just told them that Lena had it in her office and was planning to give it to the Avengers tomorrow. They brought me in to take down OsCorp's security system, so as to not raise any alarms."

"Really? Then why did they bring all this firepower? Two merc squads, _plus_ the Enhanced and the Hammer drones outside?"

"Last minute addition - one of the higher ups asked for them to be included. No reason given." -she said, uncertain. "Could be they wanted to account for Sasha's stability in the field - she's the super soldier with the Whiplash rig."

"Her stability? What do you mean?"

Skye pursed her lips. "Well, the serum makes you powerful, but also _really_ unstable, mentally speaking. Something about 'enhancing what is already within'. Since they mostly use murderous thugs for test subjects, you can imagine that they turn out a little... _broken_ , after a while. Sasha's a good kid, though. She's one of the people they picked off the streets."

"Hawkeye and Widow should've beaten her by now." -Kara said. "What about Lena and Spider-Man?"

"Well, we're waiting for the tram, aren't we?" -Skye said. "They went through first, like twenty minutes ago."

Kara's eyes nearly bugged out. _Rao, how long was I out?_ , she thought. "Just how long _is_ this ride?"

Skye snorted. "Five minutes, just about? Even with maglev speeds, it goes on for a _while_. Out of the city, I think."

As if summoned, the vehicle swiftly approached them. "I'm going after them." -Kara said. "You should stay here and wait for the other Avengers."

The brunette shook her head. "And risk these guys waking up and taking me with them? No, thanks. I've had enough of the undercover for a _while_. I'm coming with you."

Kara shook her head. "Seriously? Did you somehow miss all the bullets these guys threw at me? This is gonna be _dangerous_ , Skye. I can only imagine that Titanium Man is after their trail, too."

She groaned. " _Look_ , these guys have a tendency to burn their data as soon as they're threatened. This tram leads to a _huge_ Centipede lab. You see the math here? We can't wait for your spooky S.H.I.E.L.D. guys to come in, and since Stark didn't bother to come with you, _I'm_ your best bet at getting that information. I'm not gonna get in the way, I promise."

The Kryptonian tried to think, but there wasn't any time, nor any choice. "You stick to computers only, okay? Don't even _think_ about getting anywhere close to the fight."

Skye smirked, boarding the maglev tram. "Waiting on you, Supergirl. Let's go!"

Kara had a feeling she was going to regret this.

* * *

 **If you guys want an idea of what Sasha/Whiplash 2.0 looks like, look up Sasha Hammer from the comics. Just an inspiration, this Sasha is unrelated to Justin.**

 **I should warn you guys, next chapter will get a little...bloody. I'll put up a proper content warning and everything, but just be advised.**

 **Skye has such a cool story in this universe...I really hope you guys enjoy what I have planned for her.**

 **I'm not sure if you guys have noticed (he says, sarcastically) but I'm leaving a few doors open for new potential Avengers. Kara may or may not have gone to the Steven Universe School of Befriending All Your Former Villains. It's really just me seeing these awesome kits and power sets and being unable to leave them behind when the villains are defeated. I'm sure I'll regret it later, but since I'm doing this for fun...I'm not gonna stop, haha.**

 **Until next time!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Content warning: blood, descriptive violence.**

* * *

Skye was a chatterbox. More than that - and much to Kara's amusement - she was a _groupie_.

"So...how does Iron Man like his coffee?"

"Black. Usually cold because he forgets about it for hours, even days. You know that girl from that creepy alien movie? The one that leaves the unfinished glasses of water everywhere? It's like that, just with tiny espresso cups and week-old mugs of joe." -Kara said. She leaned against the tram's railing, trying - and failing - to fix her suit. The sheer amount of bullets had only served to ruin it further.

Skye giggled. "And Cap? Is it true that he can lift a car overhead?"

Kara snorted. "I'm sure he could lift the _weight_ , but a car is pretty hard to hold up. Unless you know how to hold it, your hands are gonna go right through the bottom. Or the ceiling, for that matter."

Skye nodded. "Right, pressure's a factor." -she said. "And you? How 'bout those _abs_? Are you naturally buff, or do you exercise? I would _kill_ for an abdomen like yours."

Kara chuckled. "No, these just happened." -she said. "I'm sure there's some nonsense Kryptonian genetics involved, since I've never gone to a gym."

"Probably would've looked suspicious, huh? The girl who could lift _anything_."

"I'm sure there's a limit to what I can lift." -Kara said, a little cocky. "I just haven't found it yet."

"What about Thor's hammer?" -she asked.

Kara cocked her head. "What about it?"

"Well, the hammer's magic, right? Supposedly, only the god of thunder himself can lift it."

Supergirl shrugged, a little skeptical. "Magic, huh? I couldn't tell you. I haven't had the pleasure yet." -she admitted. "How did you figure that out?"

"I _told_ you, Supergirl, they had me look into S.H.I.E.L.D. for a while. Thanks to my old Rising Tide spyware, I found out that they had about two weeks of quality time studying _Mjolnir_. Couldn't budge the thing at all, and that's not exaggeration, either - they _literally_ measured it down to the atoms that make up the thing."

"Hmm. I hope he shows up soon, then. I'd love to give it a try." -she said. Kara gave her an odd look. "So, Rising Tide?"

Skye nodded carefully. "...yeah. I ran with them for years, until recently. They taught me everything they knew, until _I_ was doing the teaching."

Kara crossed her arms. "They've certainly made a name for themselves. Why'd you leave them behind?"

"I met a guy, and everything just sort of...fell apart. He did some... _questionable_ things, y'know? And I thought he did them for the right reasons, but he was really just...in it for the money." -she said, sad. "Eventually, I realized Rising Tide was, well, more of the same. Maybe less crazy about the _financial_ side of things, but...well, crazy all the same. You saw the headlines, I'm sure."

"Yeah. Jameson had a field day with that story."

"' _Rising Tide becomes tsunami for soldiers abroad: leaked intelligence leads to deadly ambushes.'_ " -Skye recalled, sad. "Freedom of information, weaponized. I didn't know how to feel about it then - and still don't, really - so I bailed. Went freelance. Then I met Matt, and...well, the rest you already know."

Kara hummed as the tram began to decelerate. "Looks like this is our stop." -Kara said, taking point as they exited into a strange tunnel. "Don't suppose you know where we ended up? This tunnel looks _really_ old."

She snorted. "What do I look like, a walking GPS? Your suit's Stark tech, doesn't it have a location function or something?"

Kara pursed her lips. "I'm afraid my suit is more fashion than function. I don't need the protection, so it's really just a glorified costume."

The Kryptonian tried her comms, but the line was silent. "No response?" -Skye asked, awkwardly hefting an assault rifle she'd taken from the downed mercs. Kara was about 90% certain Skye had never shot a gun before, let alone a fully automatic rifle.

"None. Not sure if it's because we're underground, or if the comms are blocked here, too."

"That would be _very_ bad news, seeing as the Enhanced were the only ones equipped with signal disruptors." -she said, worried. "You think Andy beat us here?"

Kara raised an eyebrow. "'Andy'?"

"Andrew Stockwell, aka Titanium Man."

"No, I know _that_. I'm just wondering, why the familiarity?"

"Oh, the nickname? Well, I've met him a bunch of times. I spent a couple of days rewriting most of the original Iron Monger OS into something _usable_ , and then a couple of weeks fine-tuning it. I'm sure it doesn't hold a candle to having an _actual_ AI handle almost every aspect of the suit, but the Titanium Man suit is a _lot_ more user-friendly than its predecessor. Frankly, I'm not sure how Stane even _moved_ in that thing, let alone _fight_. That OS was so obviously rushed, I can't believe he wasn't crushed inside the suit."

Kara frowned. "You _helped_ him? Why?"

"Well, for one, it helped me keep my cover intact. Mostly though, I thought I'd seen _something_ in him. That he wasn't really a bad person, under the bored merc persona."

"Well, I definitely met the bored merc. Kinda hard to believe he's good at heart, though, considering he just blasted me out of OsCorp."

"It wasn't exactly lethal, was it?" -Skye sighed. "Centipede's changed him. They didn't even need to inject him with anything - just needed to show him how far down the rabbit hole goes."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Andy was stationed in Los Angeles, like me. Owing to his skills, and then because of the armor, he got sent all over the world. Kind of like a twisted version of Tony Stark's victory lap around the world after declaring himself Iron Man."

Kara hummed. "How come S.H.I.E.L.D. never caught wind of him? I can't imagine them knowing about this guy and not sending people to bring him in."

Skye smirked. "Well, there was a lot of their useful proprietary code in the armor's databanks. I made it virtually untraceable, provided he kept a relatively low profile."

The tunnel exited into a checkpoint of sorts, a metal detector with a small desk beside it. Kara checked around the empty desk, finding a prone man holding a shotgun, which she took and snapped in half, just in case. Skye looked understandably pale. "Is he dead?"

"Yeah." -Kara said, softly. "I think his neck is broken, but I can't be sure."

"Oh." -Skye said, meek. "Who, um...who do you think did it?" -she asked. Kara winced; the brunette looked like she was about to lose her dinner.

She shrugged, rising. "Could be one of the mercs."

That was a lie, Kara knew. Judging by the shattered jaw, someone had punched him so hard his neck had snapped. She'd seen this before; S.H.I.E.L.D. had shoved enough crime scene photos in her face that the possible consequences of misusing her supernatural strength had been seared into her mind. The culprit undoubtedly wielded superhuman strength. "How did it change him?" -she asked.

Skye cocked her head. "What?"

"You said Centipede's missions changed Andrew. How?"

"Oh. He...saw first-hand what I discovered while undercover." -she said. "The sheer amounts of money, men, and weaponry these people are amassing. The remote ' _testing sites_ ' they've set up - villages and the like they let loose their super soldiers in. Andy was... _clean-up_."

Kara grimaced. "They sent him to take out the super soldiers after they were done."

"Not alone. At least, not at first." -Skye confirmed. "Used to be there was a dedicated team for that. Eventually, though, the team died out. Andy was the only one left, by the time the armor arrived."

The kryptonian frowned. "The Tesseract was only stolen a couple of weeks ago."

"...which is about how long he's been Titanium Man, yeah."

Kara sighed. "We need to get him out of that armor. I think the power trip is starting to get to him."

Skye nodded. "He can get better, I just know it. You guys don't need to, well, _kill_ him."

"Like I said, that's not my style, nor is it Spider-Man's. We'll do everything we can to take him in safe and sound, but first we need to find him."

"Finding him is the easy part. It's beating him without bloodshed that'll be tricky." -Skye thought for a moment. "Hand me that tablet, I have an idea."

Kara raised an eyebrow, kneeling to take the object from the floor. "What are you thinking?"

Skye set down her rifle. "Well, I didn't work on the signal disruptor tech, but I _did_ get a glance at its software."

"The disruptor? How does that get us Stockwell?"

"The device doesn't actually impede comms; it listens for signals and broadcasts 'noise' around their frequency, effectively muting them. Stockwell's armor is isolated against intrusion, like Iron Man's suit." -she explained. "But the way the disruptor works means I can ping the device, maybe even hold a connection with it using a powerful enough computer."

"You can do all that with a _tablet_?" -she asked.

Skye snorted. "No, of course not. I'm just gonna look at Twitter real quick."

Kara scowled, then remembered. "Spidey's still taking photos?"

"He is. He's _also_ wearing Stark tech, isn't he?" -the hacker smirked, showing her the Avengers' account, which was _littered_ with blurry selfies of Peter and Lena. "I gotta say: live tweeting a mission is pretty inspired stuff. It's _way_ past viral, not to mention practically a map for us."

Kara quickly scanned the account; the earliest of the three latest images showed a familiar stone tunnel. "This was taken twelve minutes ago. Looks like this tunnel _does_ end in a big lab."

"Confirmation's always good."

"Is that all this gets us?"

"I needed to check that his suit was as advanced as I hoped. Besides, aren't you glad to know your girl is ok?"

Kara grumbled. "I could've told you that. Also, we aren't dating."

"You should probably try and change that. I don't swing that way, but _damn_ , Luthor's serving up _looks._ "

Kara blushed. " _Focus_. What's the plan?"

"We're gonna find Spidey, piggyback off of his suit, connect to JARVIS, and teach him how to force his way through Titanium Man's particular cyberwarfare defenses. All Spider-Man would need to do is be in close proximity to Andy."

" _Oh_. Well if you just need an AI, I can save you a couple of steps."

Skye raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Stark has more than one?"

"Three, I think. War Machine has JOCASTA, and Spidey's got a 'Karen', apparently."

The brunette groaned. "Well, why didn't you just say so? Now we just have to find Spider-Man!"

"Guess now _I'm_ waiting on _you_." -Kara said, rolling her eyes. "Come on. We've wasted enough time, so we'll have to rush it."

Skye raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'rush it'?"

Kara gave her a predatory smirk. "Climb on my back, and hold on tight."

"Holy crap, you're serious?"

"Just do it, Skye!"

The hacker grimaced, but did as she asked. Kara began floating, and grabbed the arms around her neck for added safety, then _took off_. Skye screamed - half in terror, half in glee - as Kara flew through the narrow stone corridor, trying her best not to crash as the passageway deviated up, down, and to either side. After maybe forty seconds - and a couple more checkpoints, each more wrecked than the last - they reached a much more modern area.

At last, Centipede's lab.

Almost as soon as Kara slowed down, a red and blue blur flew into her. Skye jumped off as Kara caught Peter, both of them going down hard. Parker rose first, a little shaky. "I am _so_ unprepared for any of this." -he muttered. "Digging the amazon look, Kara. Glad you're not fried."

Kara floated upright. " _Thanks_. Skye, meet Spider-Man, and vice-versa. What's going on here?"

Centipede's lab _was_ on fire. Its design was similar to the one where she'd found Whiplash, but this particular place clearly had a lot more _unusual_ experiments going on. Kara could see what looked like a set of mechanical tentacles sprawled on the ground nearby, as well as a large, mechanized exoskeleton shaped, strangely enough, like a bipedal rhinoceros.

In the midst of it all, a smaller figure decked in emerald-green armor fought like it was _possessed_ against Stockwell himself, his armor flashing blue with every hit. The person attacking him wielded speed, agility, and strength that reminded Kara of Captain Rogers', making them hard to hit for the man in the large, unwieldy battle suit. In mere seconds they stuck him with what looked like a plasma grenade, roundhouse kicked him, and dodged a slam by sliding between his legs.

This, coupled with the mane of lustrous black hair, immediately gave away the super soldier's identity.

" _Lena_!?" -Kara squealed.

Spidey hummed. "...yeah, she _definitely_ predicted this reaction."

Kara looked at Peter like he'd sprouted a couple more sets of arms. "What the _heck_ happened, Peter?"

" _Listen_ , I had zero clue your girlfriend was as reckless as she is." -Peter said, exhausted. "How was _I_ supposed to know she was gonna stab that serum thingy into her back and get superpowers?"

"Explain. _Now_." -she said.

"Nope. No time. Gotta beat the unbeatable Titanium Man." -he said, swinging into action.

Kara groaned from sheer confusion and frustration. Skye shook her head in fangirl bliss. "This is the best night of my life." -she declared.

Supergirl scowled. "Get to work, Skye. We need to shut Stockwell down, _now_."

The kryptonian didn't wait for a reply, instead zooming into action. Lena's assault had kept Andrew unbalanced, and Peter's renewed attacks had pinned him in place, so there was no defense against her massive sucker punch. The armor-clad man _flew_ , accompanied by a flash of blue energy and an oddly pleasant _gong_. Peter went ahead and started to tie him down, leaving the two of them alone.

Kara landed beside Lena, and did _not_ like what she saw. The armor looked solid - and judging by the scuffs on the paint, _bulletproof_ \- perhaps made of a steel alloy. It covered her from neck to toe, and it clearly enhanced her strength; the black mesh under the green plates definitely looked like muscle tissue. Whether that was designed to work in tandem with the Centipede serum or not, she wasn't sure.

"I love the new look." -Lena said, exhilarated.

Kara blushed slightly. " _I_ don't. What did you _do_ , Lena? What are you even wearing?"

"It's a prototype medical exoskeleton. An old project of Norman's, given new life by Centipede. The test flight I mentioned earlier? This is the suit."

"It can _fly_?"

"Not unaided." -Lena admitted. "In any case, it's meant to keep the serum's effects in check. Without it, my body would be overwhelmed by the changes and I'd be dead from shock." -she said, showing Kara her back. Sure enough, the now extended alien device protruded from between the armored plates, running from the base of her neck to her lower back, the orange fluid glowing slightly.

"Why would you use it?" -Kara asked, flabbergasted.

Lena looked demure. "I...thought you were _gone_ , Kara. KO'd for sure, maybe worse. And Peter's _strong_ , stronger and more versatile than I could've ever imagined, but that man's armor is _impenetrable_. So, I shot two birds with one stone." -she said. "I gave our little team another fighter, and eliminated the guy's objective at the same time."

Kara shook her head, then realized something. "The guards, at the checkpoints...you did that, didn't you?"

Lena winced. "...yeah. I get it, now. I thought I understood your struggle before, but now I _actually_ understand. The guy pointed a shotgun at Peter and I just lunged, fist-first. I didn't know he'd...that I would…" -she trailed off, haunted.

"You killed them, Lena." -Kara said, quiet.

"I did."

Kara sighed. "Did you plan to do this all along? Use this fight as an excuse to gain powers?"

Lena scowled. " _No_ , Kara. The temptation was there, certainly, but I only ever wanted to _study_ the serum. Using it was a crime of opportunity, not something I planned on."

"But you don't regret it, do you?" -Kara asked.

"I've saved Peter's life twice already, so... _no_. The process is _excruciatingly_ painful, and this suit is _definitely_ a prototype still, but I can do things now that I never would've _dreamed_ of, and I _can't stop thinking_ of how much _more_ I can help humanity now." -Lena said, passionate. "How much I can now help _you_."

In the span of their conversation, Lena had _somehow_ gotten close enough that Kara could pick out the flecks of amber in the green of her eyes. Even though she towered over the raven-haired woman, Kara suddenly felt... _small_ , almost like she was eighteen again, pouring her heart out to the one person who could - and _did_ \- break it.

"...uh...guys? Am I interrupting a romance in the process of rekindling?" -Peter asked. "'cause love is great and all, but I don't think my webs are doing all that much to hold this guy down."

Kara and Lena both blushed furiously, then turned towards a fairly smug looking Peter, currently maskless. "I'm guessing you've completely given up on your identity?" -Lena asked, sarcastic.

" _No_ , but Skye said she needed to talk to Karen, and I couldn't exactly relay the message while beating up the tin can back there." -he said, like it was obvious. "I'm out of web fluid, by the way."

"Isn't each one of those cartridges supposed to last you at least a day?" -Kara asked.

Peter gave her a very Lena-esque withering look. "It's been a _long_ night, Kara."

A roar behind him interrupted their conversation. Stockwell had risen, still stuck to a bunch ton of webbing, but coming loose fast. Lena and Peter assumed defensive stances, but Kara was in _dire_ need of an outlet, so she decided on a preemptive strike. Just as the Titanium Man made his explosive charge, Kara _bolted_ forth, time slowing down for her in a very familiar way. This time it was her legs doing the _thing_ , not her still slightly sore arms, propelling her forwards in half a heartbeat, barely a fraction of a second.

Between the speed, and the sheer force of her punch, the armor's shielding broke, the flare of energy accompanied by a small pressure wave that blew Kara, Peter, and Lena back, slightly.

"You guys, we did it!" -Skye said, running towards them, her face obscured by Spider-Man's mask. "I'm in!" -she happily claimed, showing them the tablet. "That's...weapons down…"

Something within the massive armor audibly powered down. "Leg hydraulics…" -the hacker said, and Titanium Man suddenly knelt before them.

" _Mary...stop this, now! You've seen what_ I've _seen._ " -Stockwell said, desperate, as they approached. " _S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers...they just aren't_ enough _. Anyone who tries to fight Centipede is doomed._ "

" _Skye_." -the brunette said, resolute. "My name's not Mary...it's _Skye_ , and I infiltrated Centipede with nothing more than my laptop and my skills." -she stated, angry. "These people are powerful, and they're spread all over the world, sure. But they're _not unbeatable_. Not if we _all_ work together. Think about it! All the data I've gathered, all the places they've sent you...combine that with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources, the sheer power of the Avengers? We can _do_ it, Andy." -she said, hopefully touching the armor's chest.

The glowing blue eyes scanned them all, one after another. After a moment, the chest opened, revealing the bloodied and bruised man beneath. " _Bozhe moi_. We're all going to die, aren't we?" -he said, with a small, resigned smirk. "...I suppose I might as well die for something."

Skye nearly cried from joy, hugging the man. " _Thank you._ "

Kara smiled. "There are worse ways to gain a new ally, I guess. Could've done without the Tesseract blast, though."

Andrew scoffed, Skye stepping out of the way. "You see my face, right? This was all you, ET."

" _Hah_. At least you aren't half naked. My suit's barely clinging to life." -she said, crossing her arms. "Well, as the one _actual_ team member on this mission, I hereby declare you an Avenger, Andrew Stockwell, aka Titanium Man."

He chuckled, stepping out of the suit, which closed again and powered down. "I'm _sure_ Stark'll love me. So, just like that? No contract, no ceremony? Centipede slapped me with so many NDAs I could make a _really boring book_ out of them."

"Honestly, the only thing we've done that even _resembles_ that was eating some really mediocre shawarma together after training today." -Kara admitted.

Lena rolled her eyes. "Earth's Mightiest Heroes, everybody. How you people defeated an alien invasion is beyond me."

" _Luck._ "

A frigid voice came from behind them all, from the strangest thing Kara had seen since she'd exited the Phantom Zone; a circle of sparks floating just off the floor, like someone had taken a circular saw to reality, tearing open a hole. Its insides turned from pitch black darkness to a blurry grey and green background, but the most prominent figure was that of a tall, imposing man, armored from head to toe, the metal silver, and cloaked in rich green fabric. The man walked forth, and the portal closed behind him, the sparks fizzling into nothingness.

Cold, venomous green eyes stared Kara down specifically, peering at her from the narrow slits off the man's cruel looking mask. " _Doom stared at this world and its..._ champions _...and found them wanting. Fate would have had them all ended, yet fortune favored them, in the end. Nuclear destruction, become this world's salvation._ " -he said, slowly approaching, his hands casually held behind his back. His voice was that of an older gentleman, rich yet tainted with the haunting, metallic echo of the mask.

"Who are you?" -Kara asked, ready for a fight.

The man paused, narrowing his eyes. "Kryptonian _. You have experienced the death of a planet, Kara Zor-El. The absolute extinction of your species. Would you experience it again?_ "

Kara blanched. "Of course not."

He hummed. " _Then we understand each other_." -he said, then held his hand up, palm open towards them. A beam of red light shot forth towards Lena - Kara tried to jump and intercept it, but her legs failed to respond in time, exhausted from the earlier burst.

The light struck Lena, and she slumped to the ground, limp. Kara dropped to her knees, screaming her name. " _What've you done!?_ " -Kara demanded, the first tears falling down her cheeks. Lena breathed still, but only just.

Spider-Man jumped towards the man, his leg extended for a kick, but their foe simply side-stepped, blasting him in the back with a white light. Peter fell to the ground, frozen in the position he'd been struck in.

Andrew tried to get back in the armor, but before he could even touch it, the man - sorcerer? - had opened another portal, right under the suit. It reappeared above them, so Kara rushed to stop it from crushing them, catching it in midair. She looked down as she held it aloft, only to see the man grab Andrew through the portal, pull him inside, then throw him at Skye with tremendous force. Both of them landed in a heap, unconscious.

Kara threw the massive suit aside, furious. "You're going to regret this." -she promised.

The man grabbed a hilt from his belt, which extended into a sleek shortsword, made from some kind of black, obsidian-like mineral. " _Regret is an old friend. Welcome yours gladly, kryptonian, for it is one of life's greatest mentors._ "

She roared and charged, pulling back her arm for a punch, but just as she was about to deliver it, a blinding, piercing pain manifested in her abdomen, causing her to lose focus and crash on the ground. Metallic footsteps approached her as she tried and failed to rise - as she struggled to even comprehend what had just happened.

The man helped her to her feet, only to grab the hilt inexplicably sticking out of her abdomen, and push it further in, the fire in her gut finding its way out her back yet failing to show any mercy by leaving her body. Kara looked down and saw the suit's stealth mode glitching in and out, as well as the now glowing green blade the man's silver hand held.

" _Why_?" -she moaned, feeling the warmth of her blood begin to slowly drip out of her wounds.

" _Kaogahv skilorodh zhehd zw kehpes_." -he recited beside her ear, the words stirring long forgotten memories in the back of her mind. "' _Let he who has the truth speak', in the dead tongue of a dead people, hailing from a dead planet. Doom has remained silent for too long._ " -he said, then twisted the sword around, hard enough that the hilt broke off. He cast it aside, as Kara coughed. Kryptonian blood stained the green of his robes, but even this could not phase him, as he simply waved his hand, and the crimson droplets flew towards his fingertips, magically sticking to them. " _This is but the first of Doom's statements._ "

Kara's vision blurred, and her knees buckled. Suddenly, she was on the ground, and Victor Von Doom was gone.

* * *

 **Believe me, I feel guilty for this one, but I feel like a loss was overdue. Plus, something really awesome and fun is gonna come out of this, so hopefully it'll be worth the pain.**

 **So, on the topic of kryptonite. It's a tricky thing to handle, for sure, which is why it'll be used very sparingly in this story. Honestly, it's very likely that it won't make another appearance, at least as a weapon. This'll be explained, don't worry.**

 **What do you think about Doctor Doom? I felt like he should make his introduction as an implacable force, something our heroes could simply not defeat, at least at first. He wields a combination of magical and technological abilities, which, by the rules of this universe at least, shouldn't be possible. Magic and tech don't mix here, 99% of the time. I feel like he's an appropriate follow-up to Loki and the Chitauri invasion.**

 **Until next time!**


	24. Chapter 24

**This is sort of a small, follow-up chapter. It's from Lena's perspective, but don't get used to that. The only reason I switched is because Kara is kind of out.**

* * *

Lena had half expected to never wake up again, after the red light hit her chest. Her muscles had simply stopped responding, and her mind had gone blank, as if suddenly asleep. It was…a frightening experience, to be sure, but not - _apparently_ \- a permanently damaging one.

She sat up, groaning, the suit whirring softly as she moved. Centipede's serum still flowed through her veins, remaking her very genome on the fly, cell by cell. She hadn't lied to Kara; the process felt like an intense, burning fever, painful down to the marrow in her bones. The armor had taken _some_ of the edge off, but its triage routines were rudimentary at best. The user's comfort hadn't exactly been Centipede's priority in redesigning the weapons platform Norman had _affectionately_ dubbed 'The Goblin'.

She looked around, and saw that everyone in their little makeshift party was down. The hacker in merc attire that Kara had brought along and the man under the titanium armor were unconscious, tangled in a heap. Peter - bless his reckless, heroic soul - seemed frozen mid-kick, as stiff as a statue. Titanium Man's suit was sprawled some twenty feet away.

And then, there was Kara.

" _Oh, god…_ " -she whispered, rushing to her feet. She ran to the prone blonde, currently face down and - Lena couldn't believe it until she moved the cape away and crimson stained her gauntlets - _bleeding_. The tip of a glowing green sword protruded from her lower back, just off to the side of her spine. Lena gingerly turned her to the side, which caused Kara to moan softly. She noticed that the bleeding was very slow, and that the small puddle of blood was _definitely_ inconsistent with a stab wound like that.

The orange lens over her left eye immediately started flashing a warning. "'Radiation'?" -Lena frowned. _Is it the sword?_ , she wondered.

Kara seemed to be half-conscious, stirring at her words. " _Out_...get it... _out_." -she managed to breathe out, her eyes unfocused, looking at the floor.

Lena nearly broke down on the spot, hearing Kara so broken. Instead, she pondered her request. "That sword might be the only thing keeping you from bleeding out right now, Kara. I don't think getting it out is a good idea."

Kara groaned, almost inaudible. Her hand seemed to struggle to even make a fist. " _Do it_! Can't... _move_...paralyzing me…"

The scientist winced, but forced herself to think things through. Two years ago, at the lowest point in her life, Kara had confessed the truth to her. Everything she knew about her powers - and of course, everything Kara felt for her. She focused on the former; kryptonians were genetically engineered to beneficially adapt to foreign environments, especially those orbiting young, energetic stars. Kara's abilities were fuelled by absorbing the sun's rays - non-ionizing radiation, like light and heat. The sword in her abdomen, in turn, seemed to give off _ionizing_ radiation, in the form of gamma rays - the kind that gave humans cancer.

Conclusion: the unknown radioactive element that made up the blade was 'shorting out' Kara's solar metabolism.

Praying to whatever gods were listening that Kara hadn't lied about having a healing factor, Lena grabbed the tip of the sword and pulled on it. Kara cried out in pain, but was seemingly unable to do anything about it. The crystalline material seemed to be losing its glow _fast_ , so Lena roughly pulled it through, lest Kara heal around it.

As she'd hoped, the bleeding stopped almost as soon as the broken sword was out. Lena tossed the bloodied weapon aside, and watched in wonder as the flesh swiftly knit itself back together, leaving behind a patch of angry red scar tissue.

Lena released the breath she'd unconsciously held, her eyes watering in relief. Kara began breathing easier, the tension seeping away. Luthor glanced at the broken weapon, and saw that it had become a dark, almost obsidian shade of green. A quick scan revealed that the radiation had vanished.

"You...look like a Power Ranger." -Kara mumbled out, her face covered in damp, golden hair.

Lena smirked, pushing a few strands away to reveal Kara's sleepy face. "So, cool as hell, I take it?"

"Yeah...kinda hot."

She snorted. "Well, now I _know_ you're lost to us. I seem to recall you hating _sentai_ shows, Power Rangers included. Something about 'too much collateral damage'?"

Kara turned with some effort, moaning in pain slightly as she took a hand to her healing wound. "...doesn't mean I didn't crush on the pink one."

Lena scoffed, but it was lost on Kara, who seemed to have passed out. The stress of rapid healing must've caught up to her. The brunette rose, frowning as she pondered what the hell to do next. The glider should be ready by now, but she couldn't imagine carrying more than a couple people.

Unfortunately, there were at least three she needed to move.

The large man, she could afford to ignore; battlefield promotion to _Avengerhood_ or not, he'd tried _very hard_ to take the serum from them beforehand, and he obviously hadn't stopped when she'd used it. If Kara and Skye hadn't convinced him to switch sides at the last minute...well, between the warlock-looking bastard in silver and green, and a still active Titanium Man, they'd all probably be dead or dying.

" _Ugh_...what happened?" -Peter's voice snapped her out of her train of thought. She turned, and saw him stiffly stand upright.

Lena walked over, her face full of concern. "Are you ok, Peter?"

He winced, slowly stretching his muscles. "I kinda feel like I got run over - and trust me, I _know_ the feeling - but other than that, just fine." -he said. "What about you? Didn't you get hit by some kind of red beam of doom?"

"I _was_ , and it made me instantly pass out." -she said. "You looked frozen in time."

"Did I? That's weird. I dunno what to tell you, I just know I couldn't move, like _at all_. Well, ok, maybe a _little bit_. I could _barely_ breathe, move my eyes…but that's it."

Lena sighed. "This world has gotten way too weird, _way_ too fast."

Peter smirked. "You're telling that - while wearing cool super soldier armor, don't forget - to the kid with spider powers. You're part of that weirdness, now."

"Guess I am." -she admitted. "For now, though, we need to move. By now, Centipede will have realized they've lost Titanium Man and the serum."

"You think they'll send reinforcements?" -Peter asked, uncharacteristically serious.

"We should assume so. They sent several mercenaries and Enhanced after me, didn't they?"

"Sure."

"Are you actually out of web fluid?"

"Yeah. Sorry, but holding back that guy took everything I had."

Lena had an idea. "We're in a lab, though."

Peter seemed to catch on. "...oh my gosh, I completely forgot."

"Is it a complicated mix? I'll help you."

He shook his head. "No, no, I actually make my own in my school's lab. I'm sure I can find the components here." -he said, rushing towards the nearest intact rack. "You focus on waking them up!"

Lena pursed her lips. "Right." -she muttered, walking over to the two mercs, shaking them lightly. "Wake up the people I trust least right now, great idea."

The man stirred, groaning as he took a hand to his head. "Jesus...what just happened?"

"Your _boss_ just took us out." -Lena said, cold. "Stabbed Kara through the gut and everything."

The man sat up, bewildered. "What do you mean, 'my boss'? I got my orders from scientists, not some robed, armored asshole."

"Are you saying he _wasn't_ with Centipede?"

He sighed. "No? Maybe? Honestly, hell if I know. Maybe he's one of the higher ups I kept hearing about." -he said, then rose to his feet. " _Shit_. I think I've got a concussion." -he said, a little woozy.

"I can't say I'm sorry."

"That's how it is, huh? I get it."

"What's there to get? You tried to _kill us_."

He snorted, checking on the hacker. "If I wanted you dead, you would be. My orders were to capture you, and even _that_ I botched. I focused on attacking Supergirl, didn't I?"

"Not for long."

"True, but I spent a great deal of the suit's remaining energy reserves on blasting her away." -he explained. "Enough, in fact, to justify failing to catch you afterwards. I gave you _every chance_ to escape. And you _did_ , long enough for the kryptonian to recover."

Lena scowled. "I don't believe you."

"I don't _care_." -he said, walking over to his armor.

"What do you think you're doing?" -she asked.

"Hopping back in the armor, obviously. It's almost out of juice, but they're gonna come for us as soon as they realize we've failed, so we need to be ready."

Lena reached for a plasma grenade from her hip. "Don't you _dare_ touch that thing."

The distant, unmistakable sound of helicopter blades rendered her threat moot. Andrew gave her a withering look. "You can't afford not to have Titanium Man on your team, Luthor. Your big gun is down, and you and the spider kid aren't gonna be enough to protect us all."

Lena winced. "I _also_ can't afford to have you switch sides again. You've proven loyalty to no one but yourself."

"And yet, I threw my lot in with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers as soon as I'd seen what they're capable of, _up close_. Centipede's still ridiculously powerful, but...if anyone has a chance to beat them, it's them."

Lena winced. "How am I supposed to trust you? Just like that?"

Above them, a large helicopter began to hover. More than two dozen mercenary soldiers dropped down, breaking through the crystal ceiling. They wielded rifles, shotguns, and even an RPG, all pointed towards them.

"Doesn't look like you have a choice so... _yes_ , just like that." -Andrew said, and hopped back into the armor.

Lena growled as the suit closed up and began rebooting, but turned her attention to the mercs, priming the plasma grenade and throwing it their way. They scattered as it detonated, but a couple of them were still half engulfed in the fireball that ensued. She covered her face as they began to fire back, feeling the rounds ping off her armor.

Then, she was grabbed.

A massive, robotic hand encircled her torso, turning her to face the Titanium Man himself. " _Kudos. You made the right choice._ " -he rumbled, then _threw_ her - not under his feet to be crushed, as she'd momentarily feared, but _towards_ the mercs as an improvised projectile. She slammed against two of them, knocking them out cold.

Rising, narrowly avoiding a rifle stock to the face, and striking back in quick succession, she groaned. "You could've warned me!"

Andrew cackled. " _You're a super soldier now. Shrug it off!_ " -he declared, then charged, roaring. Lena took advantage of the momentary confusion to backflip into a better position, away from Stockwell's path. The silver-green titan bull rushed past her, knocking highly trained mercs away like they were bowling pins. Peter jumped into action, his web-shooters seemingly refreshed.

The small HUD on her lens once again flashed, though not in warning this time. Lena ducked under a riot control baton as she gave her foes a feral smile, and summoned her weaponized glider.

* * *

 **So, I initially envisioned Lena wearing the Green Goblin armor from the Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie, but upon closer inspection it's...well, really ugly. So, picture her with something that looks more like N7 armor from the Mass Effect series, if rudimentary.**

 **The way Lena's enhancements work is a package deal; the Centipede serum she used grants great reflexes and moderately enhanced strength and durability, so she's very dependent on the armor she's wearing. She's not like Captain America, who can go toe to toe with the Winter Soldier in khakis. This version of the serum lacks the Extremis component, as well, so she doesn't have much of a healing factor, either.**

 **Sorry about the long wait, folks! I had a lot of trouble switching perspectives. I'm still not really satisfied with this chapter, but the story must go on!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Goddamn, this chapter. I wish I could've made this one simpler, but too many things needed to be explained or set up. Three years into this writing biz and this is the one that gave me the most trouble, geez.**

 **An important announcement: as you may or may not know from my previous works, I love writing multi-fandom crossovers. I have done my best to keep this story strictly Supergirl X Avengers while hinting at the future crossovers I wanna include, and I think I've done a pretty good job of it so far. This is, however, the last chapter where this is the case. This story was always intended to be the jumping off point for the larger universe, and I'm about to take the leap.**

 **Now, the responsible thing to do would probably be to end this story here and keep going in another. However, Kara's story is far from over, and there are still many plot threads in this fic that are yet to be resolved. What I'll do instead is just put a warning on the first chapter and the description. I really am sorry if you dislike multi-fandom crossovers, and I hope what you got up to this point was to your liking!**

* * *

Kara awoke to blinding sunlight, open blue skies above her head. She looked to her right and frowned, seeing the Empire State Building, along with the rest of New York's skyline.

Someone had put her on a _roof_.

She sat up, slowly, feeling for any pain that might surge from her wound. Kara was relatively unsurprised not to feel anything out of the ordinary; if not for the brand new lumpy scar she could feel on her abdomen through the strange, skin-tight black jumpsuit she was wearing, she might've thought that everything about OsCorp and Project Centipede had been only a terrible nightmare.

" _Good morning, and welcome back, Miss Danvers_." -JARVIS said, his voice - tinny but unmistakable - coming through an Iron Man-themed baby monitor on the cheap, IKEA-sourced table beside her bed. " _I am pleased to see you rise once more._ "

"Hey, Jay." -she said, stretching. "Why, uh...why am I on the _roof_?"

" _Your injury drained most of your solar energy reserves, which pushed Mr. Stark to hastily establish this 'triage unit'._ "

"I... _huh_. I guess that makes sense. What about the suit?"

" _The bodysuit you are wearing has been designed, using cutting-edge Stark Solar Panel technology, to boost your energy absorption rate by at least twenty-three percent._ "

Kara raised an eyebrow, looking the garment over with newfound appreciation. " _Wow_. I knew Tony was a genius, but making this in a single night is kind of incredible."

" _That'd be because I_ didn't _, Kara._ " -Tony interjected. " _Come down to the workshop, will you? We've got a lot to talk about._ "

The kryptonian winced, but rose nonetheless. Briefly experimenting with her various powers, she noticed nothing out of the ordinary, even when she blasted the sky a bit with her heat vision. Just then, the roof access opened, and Alex walked through.

" _Kara_." -she said, a little breathless. She didn't quite look surprised to see her up and walking around, but Kara could tell it was still a relief. Alex wore a pair of old S.H.I.E.L.D. fatigues, and held a glass pitcher filled with ice-cold water, and a large glass, already full, which she quickly offered. Kara took it pretty quickly - her mouth and throat felt coarse and dry from lack of use.

After a couple of gulps, sat back on the bed. "Thanks, Alex."

The brunette refilled the glass. "I've been where you were, so I knew you'd be feeling a little dehydrated."

Kara frowned. "You were? When?"

"A couple of years back." -she said, sitting beside her. "Remember that Thanksgiving I missed? I got shot in the clavicle." -she said, then showed her a small, faded scar. "Nothing dangerous, but the bone shattered, so I had to stay in bed for three weeks. Almost didn't make the holidays, actually."

"Oh, yeah. Eliza was _so mad_." -the blonde reminisced. "You said you'd gone on vacation with that Sawyer girl you used to date - she couldn't _believe_ you'd rather go to Cancún with your girlfriend than spend some quality time with your family."

Alex snorted. "I _did_ go to Cancún, just not on vacation. And you know Maggie and I were never really a thing. I wish we had been, but...y'know, different priorities."

Kara hummed. "Did the others make it out of OsCorp ok?"

The elder sister sighed. "Yeah. The Centipede mercs are in custody for debriefing, and Lena's got some new, permanent scars from the armor she wore, but your friends made it out surprisingly unscathed. The same can't quite be said about _you_ , though."

"...this is the part where you say 'I told you so', isn't it?"

"Clearly, I don't need to." -she said, bitter. "And even if I did...honestly, I'm just glad you're _alive_."

Kara nodded. "Me too. I...it's stupid, but I guess I thought I'd never meet anyone who'd _really_ be able to harm me. Even when I was fighting Titanium Man, all I felt was... _annoyed_." -she confessed. "And then I felt that thing go _through_ me. I felt like a kid again, running from the soldiers. I felt _afraid_."

Alex hugged her. "See, how do you expect me to gloat when you say something like that? I just couldn't do it." -she said, trying to cheer Kara up. "Besides, what you guys did...you took down _OsCorp_ , you exposed Centipede to the public - you _won_. S.H.I.E.L.D. might not agree with your methods, but even Hill can't argue with your results."

Kara spared a forlorn smile for her closest friend. "Somehow, I feel like we lost."

* * *

A little while later - and after a few very _necessary_ tears were shed - Kara went through the roof access, and then down a half dozen floors towards Tony's workshop.

The Tower was _crawling_ with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. On the way to Stark, she spotted some familiar faces; Jasper Sitwell overseeing a bank of monitors, Maria Hill exasperatedly arguing with Pepper Potts...she even thought she caught a glimpse of Fury's signature coat going into the meeting room. No one paid Kara any mind, thankfully.

Once inside the workshop, Kara looked around; to her right stood a damaged, headless Iron Man suit, and to her left danced a bunch of holograms depicting the various pieces of tech employed by the Avengers. Stark himself seemed to be hard at work testing out a brand new suit in the center of the room - a matte gold and cherry red variant, currently in collapsed pieces strewn around the messy room. Stark extended one hand, striking an odd pose, and one of the pieces stirred, but didn't move. He cursed under his breath, hit his forearm a few times, then tried again.

This time, the armor piece bolted towards him, slowing down just in time to envelop his hand without breaking it, then extending to cover his entire forearm.

"That's pretty cool." -Kara noted, sitting on a nearby stool. "New suit?"

Tony shrugged. "Just a prototype." -he said, then repeated the summoning motion with his uncovered hand. Another piece flew towards him and assembled as before. "I'm testing out a big update for the new prehensile tech. _Seems_ to be working so far. Alright, JARVIS, send 'em all."

One by one, the armor's components flew at him - a little chaotically, too forcefully, in Kara's opinion, given how he was getting pushed around by them. Clearly, the system needed some fine-tuning still.

"How do they fly without being connected to the arc reactor?" -Kara wondered, after she ducked under the helmet and faceplate.

Stark had to make use of some clever repulsor tricks so the faceplate wouldn't miss, but the final piece snapped into place and he rose, triumphant. The suit seemed sleeker than before, shaped more like a man than a worn set of armor, if that made any sense. " _I'm the_ best." -he boasted over the speakers.

She scoffed, amused. "At what, bragging?"

" _Designing nearly impervious exoskeletons and extremely efficient flight systems, obviously. But sure, that, too_." -he said. " _The Mark 42 pieces come with hyper-efficient batteries, previously topped off by the reactor._ " -he explained. " _They can fly autonomously for roughly six hours, enough time to reach me anywhere in the world_."

Kara thought that was awesome, but something caught her unaware. "Wait, what? Mark _forty-two_? The last time I checked, you were on your _eighth_ suit."

Stark sighed, garbled through the helmet's speakers. " _Yeah...it's been a_ long _week._ "

Kara's stomach dropped. "A _week_!? I thought I slept for a night, two tops!"

He shook his head. " _Nope. It's friday morning, a whole week since the whole OsCorp fiasco._ " -he said, then pointed at a broken Iron Man helmet on the desk behind him - the one matching the headless suit by the entrance. He tossed it at her, and she easily caught it.

Her eyes widened; half of the faceplate and part of the side appeared to have been sheared off. "What the _heck_ happened, Tony?"

The suit opened up, and he stepped out. He seemed so much... _smaller_ without it. Stark nodded at her. "How do you like the the suit?"

Kara didn't like the avoidance in his tone. "Oh. It's...a little _tight_. Doesn't leave much to the imagination." -she admitted.

"Yeah, well. It needed to be skin-tight, or there would've been a heck of a lot of energy loss in the transfer. I'm told it was a little difficult to stuff you in there."

Kara hummed. "Doctor Cho?" -she guessed.

Stark nodded. "Your sister helped."

"How long has she been here?" -Kara asked. Her sister rarely managed to slip away from her job, and the last she'd known, Alex was in England on assignment. She'd tried to ask, but Alex was surprisingly cagey about anything unrelated to Kara and her injuries.

"Ever since you went down, pretty much. S.H.I.E.L.D. was already on the way by the time you got stabbed - Romanoff tattled on you, but they'd sent people as soon as Peter's tweets went live. After that, they brought you guys here and set up shop, trying to deal with the fallout, or so they claim."

Kara winced. " _Rao_. What a mess."

He chuckled, humorless. "Hell of an understatement. If it helps, you weren't in a comma or anything. You really _were_ just asleep - you healed in mere seconds, after Miss Luthor pulled the broken sword out of you. The last week was just your body restoring homeostasis, recovering your energy reserves after the whole ordeal. I don't think melanoma's a problem for you, so I threw you up in the roof."

"Still, a whole week seems excessive. I barely sleep as is."

He raised an eyebrow. "You were _this_ close to dying, Kara." -he said. "According to the telemetry I recovered from Lena's suit, the blade disrupted your metabolism so harshly that you went into cardiac arrest within a minute. I've been there, and it's _not great_."

Kara sighed. "I know. I'm sorry." -she said.

"What the hell are _you_ apologizing for?" -he asked, bewildered. "I'm not angry at _you_ ; I'm furious at Von Doom, Centipede, Osborn...hell, I'm pissed at S.H.I.E.L.D., too. If they were better at their jobs, you wouldn't have gotten stabbed with _kryptonite_ at all."

Kara cocked her head. " _Kryptonite_?"

He shrugged. "S.H.I.E.L.D. came up with the name. It's what the sword was made of; some kind of mineral with the same chemical composition as the igneous material in Krypton's mantle. Kind of like obsidian, only radioactive, green, and apparently, _lethal_ to kryptonians."

"Wait, so...the sword _came_ from S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Stark nodded, scowling. "Von Doom grabbed it from the Fridge before your encounter. In and out, no alarms. Almost like _magic_."

Kara shook her head, confused. "Why would they have that kind of weapon? How the heck did they even get a piece of my planet to make it with?"

"Well, now that Fury gave up the _whole_ file on you, I can tell you: it was 'shrapnel' from the planetary explosion. A small shard was encrusted on the hull of your pod before it made the jump into hyperspace. Or the Phantom Zone, whatever you call it."

She pursed her lips. "Okay, but...how did I survive the trip here, if that thing came with me?"

Stark waved the hologram away. "Kryptonite is apparently inert unless it's exposed to a powerful electric current, in which case it rapidly decays, emitting a strange, alien variant of gamma radiation. The hilt on the sword emitted one such current, as did...well, your _insides_ , when converting stored solar power into fuel for your powers."

Kara winced at this, staying quiet until the realization hit her a few moments later. "Fury had the sword made, didn't he?"

Stark nodded, stiff. "Hence, me being pissed off - well, that and the fact that they've _invaded my Tower_. Probably why your sister didn't want to say much, either. Turns out, Fury's always had a way to kill you. He's always had a way to kill _all of us_."

"A contingency plan, in case we went rogue." -Kara surmised. "I can't say I'm surprised; it feels pretty on-brand for him. If he can't have us, no one else can."

"Not that he'd word it like that, but yeah. Pretty much." -he said.

"How'd the others take it?"

Stark scoffed. "Not very well. Especially considering our new arrangements."

She grabbed the broken helmet. "What new arrangements?"

"Like I said, a lot happened in the past seven days." -he said, then brought up a hologram of several news articles.

" _Welcome to the 'Age of Heroes'._ " -Kara read, out loud. The article featured short profiles on all the Avengers, but mentioned nothing of what happened at OsCorp. "Sounds a little pretentious." -she said.

"True, but they're not exactly _wrong_ , are they? We're at eight Avengers and climbing, just a couple of weeks after the invasion, after all."

"How are they?" -she asked.

Tony scoffed. "You mean your girlfriend, and the couple of walking reminders of the worst parts of my life?"

Kara winced. "Sorry."

He waved her off. "I've expressed my feelings at the shooting range already. Suffice it to say, they're all fine. Pepper says they should be cleared by Hill's goons soon."

"Do you think they'll join the team?"

"Oh, I thought you'd decided that already." -he said, sarcastic.

She crossed her arms. "In my defense, I meant it more as an honorary, temporary thing."

"In any case, it's up to them, so I have no idea. Still, it seems likely, hence the 'Age of Heroes' spiel. And _that's_ not even considering the vigilantes we met that night, or the other Enhanced who've popped up _everywhere_ since then. It's kind of like the Mutant Boom of the sixties again, except we don't have X-Genes in common, so it's kind of a free-for-all right now."

Kara hummed, worried. If she recalled human history correctly, the vast majority of mutants had been all but banished to Genosha, back then. She'd heard rumors that this was still in practice. "I'm guessing that's where the 'new arrangements' come in?" -Kara asked, crossing her arms. "Aren't we supposed to be independent?"

"You said it; we're _supposed_ to be." -he said, sour. "Since we apparently can't be trusted _not_ to destroy multinational companies, while simultaneously causing thousands of dollars in property damage while fighting ninjas in Harlem, though, Fury has decided to yank back our chain."

Kara blinked a couple of times. " _Ninjas?_ "

He nodded at the damaged helmet. "Yeah, you neglected to mention that little detail. Our new vigilante pals? _Heavily_ into Eastern culture, some of them. Apparently, that translates into fighting undead assassins armed with bows and katanas on the regular. One of their leaders did _that_." -he said, gesturing at the broken helmet.

"I had no idea. I thought they just beat criminals up with no concern for the rule of law." -Kara said, trying to wrap her head around the idea of ninjas in New York.

"Might not have made the right questions, then."

" _Clearly_."

He leaned against the new armor, which didn't budge, even though it was empty. "In any case, the ambush actually helped our case. Fury and Hill may have thrown a hissy fit, but Rogers and I were actually the _least_ destructive of the bunch. Those vigilantes have a lot of potential, but they're shit at teamwork and they know it."

"We could offer to help them with that." -Kara suggested.

" _Way_ ahead of you, Kara." -he said. "They may not be convinced to join the Avengers just yet, but we'll be making damn well sure that they _superhero_ right in the meantime. I'll equip them, and Barton and Romanoff will train them between missions."

Kara frowned. "What do you mean, 'between missions'?"

Tony huffed, annoyed. "Well, as part of our _punishment_ for taking down OsCorp without asking for Fury's permission, _he's co-opting our teammates._ He's already assigned Rogers to lead a shady covert-ops unit, and sent Rhodey to play hide-and-seek with some cheesy warlord in the Middle East on behalf of the Air Force. The only reason the rest of us have survived this little tantrum of his is because of you."

Kara cocked her head. "How so?"

"Bruce and I have been monitoring you." -he said, simply. "Not that I'll capitulate to whatever the hell Fury wants me to do next, but your recovery has been a good excuse to blow him and his goons off so far."

She groaned. "I don't get it. Why is he breaking us up? Sure, we probably should've handled things better, but the last thing we need is to pull the team apart right now! We _just_ showed Centipede we're a force to be reckoned with."

"See, your mistake is thinking we're still allowed to go after Centipede." -Stark said, sardonically. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has taken over that investigation. Don't even know who's the agent in charge."

Kara gaped. " _What_? Tony, we can't let that happen! Alex is about the only agent I trust anymore!"

He crossed his arms. "Don't worry. S.H.I.E.L.D. can throw their weight around as much as they want; I'm still stupidly rich, and you're still an indestructible alien. We're still the _Avengers_ , and this sure as _hell_ won't stop us."

The blonde gave him a determined nod. "Right. What's our next step, then?"

Stark gestured towards the holograms. "We have something both Centipede and the agency don't: public good-will. We're riding a wave of public support right now, and we're gonna take advantage of that." -he explained, then summoned another set of holograms.

"As I said, gifted individuals are coming out of the woodwork right now. Superheroes aren't exactly a new thing, obviously; ever since Rogers started punching Nazis, Enhanced people have thwarted bank heists and stopped runaway trains here and there over the years. And sure, they even work for the government in, like, _Japan_ , but that's not what _we_ are. What makes the Avengers _special_ is the whole team-up mechanic."

A series of very familiar names and associated data lists scrolled by. "That's...that's the Index." -Kara gaped. "The _entire_ Index. How the heck did you get that?"

Stark gave her a shit-eating grin. "Fury messed with JARVIS. _Once_."

"So you _stole_ one of their most valuable data caches?" -she asked, incredulous.

"No, no; I backed up their _entire digital library_. A few hundred petabytes of Fury's dirty little secrets, available for our perusal. JARVIS has been trudging through it all."

Kara whistled. "I can't imagine Steve approved of this. Or Romanoff, for that matter."

"You'd be surprised." -Stark said. "Sure, Romanoff called the Quinjets on you guys, but that was more of an 'oh-shit-Kara's-dying' type thing. She grabbed your blood for Doctor Cho and everything."

"That's...disturbing."

He rolled his eyes. "You're missing the point; she _kept it_ from S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury himself having the doomsday plans for us is one thing, but something is seriously wrong with an agency that can't keep track of the most dangerous tech they own. Take Vanko's rig, for example; barring his brief soiree with Justin Hammer, the guy acted solo the whole time. Fury's goons grabbed the tech after the whole shitfest at the Expo. So, how did the teen you guys met yesterday get herself some plasma whips?"

"I guess they could've replicated the tech, but Centipede seems to be focused more on biochemistry and genetics, not advanced weaponry." -she surmised.

"Just take Occam's Razor to this one, Kara."

Kara scowled. "S.H.I.E.L.D. must have a leak."

He nodded gravely. "Romanoff figured it out. Rogers was a little slower on the uptake, but he's on board. Since Fury is so keen on taking Avengers away, I guess we'll just have to grab some _more_. Y'know, just in case more aliens decide to show up. Who knows? They might take us places where certain leads are."

Kara smirked. "...alright, I like where this is going."

"Good, because I'm leaving tomorrow." -Stark said. "I want to get the hell out of New York ASAP."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "...ok. Where are you going?"

"Los Angeles." -he said. "Well, Malibu, then LA. Possibly San Francisco as well - JARVIS caught some strangely familiar energy readings a few miles off the coast."

"Alright." -she said. "Just you?

"Pepper's coming too. Don't worry; your sister, your nerdy friend, and Bruce will stay behind and man the fort, check out a couple leads of your own." -he said knowingly, looking at the door behind her. Kara turned around and looked at it, but...nothing seemed to happen. "Plus, you'll get to spend some quality time with the newly minted Director of Stark Industries' Biochemistry division."

Stark groaned. "Goddamnit. Luthor, that was your cue!"

The door opened to a very embarrassed looking Lena, standing beside a smug looking Alex. Kara turned beet red, if only because she could only imagine what kind of horrible black ops torture her sister had probably just threatened Lena with.

Kara laughed nervously to herself. "Oh, geez."

* * *

 **Next up, Kara, Lena, and Bruce meet a british consultant to talk about the villainous Doctor Doom!**

 **EDIT: I uploaded an older file by accident. Fixed now.**


	26. Chapter 26

"I'm on leave from S.H.I.E.L.D." -Alex announced as she cracked another egg for the monstrous bacon omelette she was making for Kara. "Still haven't decided if I'll be returning to the fold once it ends."

Kara's eyes widened, and she nearly spit the freezing cold milk she was drinking. "Wait, _what_?" -she asked, a white mustache on her upper lip. "Alex, are you serious?"

The brunette's lips thinned, poking at the omelette with a fancy spatula. "Unfortunately. For _some_ reason, it's not easy to imagine myself working under the people who came up with a way to _kill my sister._ "

Kara frowned. "...ok, that sounds incredibly messed up when you put it that way, yeah." -she said, wiping her mouth. "But _still_ , the agency's been your life for _years_."

"You're not wrong." -Alex admitted. "But that's part of the problem, too. I've been so focused on working towards _the greater good_ that I turned a blind eye to all the shady crap that happened around me. It's not healthy for me, and it sure as hell doesn't seem to have been healthy for _you_."

The younger sister hummed. "I don't think that's really on _you_ , though. S.H.I.E.L.D. has no business being shady to begin with."

"No kidding." - Alex chuckled, bitter. "Somehow, I doubt Peggy Carter would be proud of what her agency has become. After all, one of its priorities is apparently figuring out how to kill Captain America."

Kara leaned back on her chair. "For what it's worth, I think you should go back. Maybe not right away, but... _eventually_ , y'know? I'd feel better knowing you're inside, working to make S.H.I.E.L.D. better."

Alex handed her a plate with the tastiest eldritch horror she'd ever seen. "I guess that's a good point. No promises, though. I'm still angry as hell. Chewed out Fury and everything." -she said, a little proud. Kara spared a small, fond smile for her.

Both sisters sat in silence - Alex doing her best not to stare in Kara's general, disgusting direction, Kara doing her level best to clean out her plate."I can't believe you ran off." -Alex amusedly said, after a while. "I knew you were bad at the whole _romance thing_ , but you didn't even let Lena get a word in."

Kara blushed to her roots. "That's _mean_ , Alex." -she said, wounded. "I just didn't have a clue what to say, alright? I don't exactly know where we stand."

"No, I get it." -Alex said. "You two are very different but equally _disastrous_ messes; a hyper-progressive pansexual alien who's a social butterfly in every situation _except_ a romantic one, and a repressed lesbian who grew up around assholes who hated queer people and drank _just_ enough kool-aid to fuck up the _one_ good prospective relationship she had."

Kara giggled a little, mortified. "That is a _scarily_ accurate read on us."

"I _am_ Maria Hill's protegé, y'know."

"You're _also_ pretty blasé about Lena. Suspiciously so, actually." -Kara noted. "I thought you hated her guts."

"Well, she _did_ break your heart." -she acknowledged. "And I don't know that I'll ever forgive her for that...but I don't think she'll ever forgive herself, either. You weren't awake to see it, but _Jesus_ , she's a _mess_ where you're concerned. She's got it _bad._ "

Kara groaned. "This is too confusing."

Alex shrugged. "So, make it simple. Talk to her, figure out if she's worth a second chance. If she isn't, you'll know for sure you were right to stay away from her. But, if she _is_...well, you can start making up for lost time, sis." -she winked, then left the kitchen.

She must've brushed past Doctor Banner on the way out, because he entered not long afterwards.

"Oh, Kara. I'm glad to see you up." -Bruce said, shuffling into the kitchen. He seemed skittish, and Kara could easily guess why - she'd passed a dozen agents on the way to breakfast. They really seemed to have taken over Avengers Tower; JARVIS had even deigned to mark the 'safe' rooms for her, where she could talk freely, without the concern of being overheard.

Kara smiled, looking up from the remains of her omelette. "Thanks."

"How are you feeling? Any discomfort?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Just a couple of scars and some more trauma to add to the pile, hah." -she said, joking.

Bruce winced a little. "... _right_. Maybe we should _really_ start looking into that therapist for the team, huh? I believe Pepper was looking into a Doctor Sofen, but…"

Kara smirked. " _Really_ , I'm fine. It was a shock, for sure, but now I know what to expect, the next time we find the guy."

Banner raised an eyebrow, looking around. Needlessly, since the team's kitchen was off-limits to active agents. "I thought S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken over the Centipede investigation."

"They _did_." -Kara admitted. "But that doesn't mean we're gonna stand by and wait for bureaucracy to catch up. We made some good progress by taking down OsCorp, but I have a feeling that there's a _lot_ left to do."

The scientist sighed. "I figured as much." -he said, rubbing his arm. "I wish I could've helped out, but...well, let's be honest, the Hulk would've been disastrous in that situation."

Kara shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I think you were right to stay back with Sue, Johnny, and Ben. Seeing how the rest of us were ambushed, I was kinda surprised to find out that this place wasn't attacked, them being former minions and all. I'm sure your presence was a _heck_ of a deterrent."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, for sure."

"Hmm. Maybe." -he conceded. "They wanted to say goodbye, by the way. Sue and the others, they tried to wait for you to wake up, but they got a lead on Reed Richards, so they went to try and track him down before the trail went cold."

Kara cocked her head. "Oh. Well, I'm glad they have an idea of where to find him. Did they leave a way for us to contact or help them?"

Bruce shook his head. "No, but they took the gear Tony made for them. I'm sure there's some way to track them." -he said, then winced a little. "Besides...they're not exactly subtle, are they?"

She chuckled. "Yeah, I guess not."

Bruce sat across from her, grabbing a piece of toast. They ate in silence, for a few minutes. "So...Tony left." -Kara said, absently.

"I heard." -he replied. "Honestly, I think this hasty exit of his is less about recruitment, and more about _not dealing_ with everything that's going on here." -he said. "He hadn't even taken off the damaged armor after the ambush that night and he was already designing upgrades for...well, _all_ of us, everything he could think of. I think he took your injury harder than anyone else. Even your sister."

Kara pursed her lips. "Yeah, I...caught him in the middle of testing his Mark 42 armor earlier."

"Forty- _two_? _Yikes_. He was working on Mark 33 yesterday. Like, I get they're mostly modular redesigns that are supposed to go on top of the same frame, but _still_. All of that work is on _top_ of making Cap a stealth suit, repairing Miss Luthor's suit, and creating a new Quinjet prototype for the team."

She gasped. " _Rao_ , did he sleep at _all_?"

Banner shook his head. "If he did, it wasn't much." -he said.

"Maybe I should've offered to go with him to Los Angeles."

"Well, he didn't go alone. Pepper's with him, and, aside from Colonel Rhodes, I don't know that anyone on Earth knows how to handle him better." -he reasoned. "I'm sure he'll be back to normal in no time."

Kara was far from reassured, and it showed, so Bruce cleared his throat. "Have you talked with Ms. Luthor yet?"

The blonde blushed a bit. "Um...no, not yet. I'm not sure what I should say to her, so I kinda bolted after seeing her again."

Bruce offered a kind smile. "I wouldn't wait too long, if I were you. The first thing she did after getting cleared by S.H.I.E.L.D. was sit by your bed."

Kara smiled warmly. "Did she?"

"Yeah. You know I'm, uh, _far_ from an expert on these things, but I feel like there's something there that you probably shouldn't let pass you by."

She toyed with a stray piece of bacon on her plate. "Part of me knows that. The chemistry's still there, and she's only gotten _more_ obnoxiously gorgeous since the last time we talked." -she admitted. "But I can't ignore the fact that there are still some _major_ issues we haven't even gotten to talk about. Heck, half our interactions since meeting back up last week were hostile because of our past."

Bruce nodded. "I get that. Still, though...you're never going to figure out if you guys can move past that without _actually_ talking to her."

Kara smirked. "I guess I'll have to work up the courage, huh? Maybe after we chat with the consultants."

"Yeah." -he said, leaning back on his chair. "What's up with that, by the way? Tony he, uh...didn't say much."

The blonde shrugged. "He only told me to 'give them a chance', whatever that means."

"Knowing Tony - for a couple of weeks, anyway - they're bound to be... _interesting_."

* * *

By the time noon rolled around, JARVIS had directed the two Avengers to the underground garage, where a sleek town car awaited them. Bruce and Kara looked at each other, then entered, only to find one of Tony's new armors - one that _wasn't_ hollow, interestingly enough - was at the wheel.

"JARVIS?" -Kara asked, tentatively.

" _Indeed, Miss Danvers._ " -the suit said. " _Mister Stark wished for me to tell you that he's with you in spirit_."

Kara snorted. "I bet. What's up with the chauffeur routine?"

" _Considering the protests outside, I thought it best to draw as little attention as possible. Flying out of the Tower would defeat that purpose._ "

The blonde frowned. " _Protests_? What the heck?"

Bruce winced slightly. "Oh...no one told you, huh? There's a, uh, small but _significant_ group of people protesting our takedown of OsCorp. A couple of people who lost their jobs, but mostly folks who think we've got too much power and no idea how to use it responsibly." -he said. "I...don't _entirely_ disagree with them, to be honest."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "OsCorp was doing some shady stuff, no doubt. And I agree that something needed to be done as soon as possible, hence the mission. Still, the _vast_ majority of their employees were completely unrelated to the Centipede plot, and they still lost their jobs overnight. Even _without_ the ongoing investigation into the specifics of Centipede's involvement, OsCorp would've had to close its doors due to the sheer damage caused by the fighting." -he said. "Not to mention losing their CEO to Stark Industries."

Kara looked down. "I see." -she said. "I...could we have done something to prevent that?"

"The way most of us see it, this is Norman Osborn's fault, not yours. He signed OsCorp's death warrant as soon as he tangled with Centipede." -he said. "But this might not be the case the next time; I don't think you guys understand yet just _what_ the collateral damage of fighting with superpowers can be."

Kara scowled as JARVIS silently began to move the car. "S.H.I.E.L.D. certainly tried its best to drill it into my head."

"Did they show you Harlem after the Hulk?" -he asked, pointedly. Banner then sighed. "I've made a lot of mistakes, Kara - most of which I couldn't afford to make. I _know_ you're better than me in every way that matters to this crazy idea that is the Avengers, but I _also_ know that you're _young_. You're gonna have a _long_ time to make those same mistakes, and I'm going to do my damnedest to make sure you _don't_."

The car came out to the street beside the Tower, none the wiser to the fact that it contained two Avengers thanks to Tony's deceptively simple escape route. Kara saw the small group of protesters waving their signs at the Tower's lobby, being watched like hawks by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in riot gear. There couldn't be more than three dozen people in total.

Kara narrowed her eyes, resolute. "Jay, stop the car."

The car stopped, heedless of the sudden burst of honking this caused. "What are you doing?" -Bruce wondered.

The blonde opened the door. "I can't just ignore these people. I need to talk to them, get them to understand what was at stake."

Bruce blanched. "That's, uh...I don't think that's a good idea."

"Maybe not, but...I've gotta learn somehow, right?" -she said, then stepped out of the car. No one seemed to recognize her, which wasn't surprising - her usual, dorky, glasses-and-ponytail style was a far cry from the nearly _amazonian_ look her Supergirl suit provided.

Kara was about to raise her voice when a hand gripped her forearm, making her pause. She turned, and saw a _beautiful_ woman, slightly older than her, dark skinned and curly haired. She seemed the bookish type, but her features betrayed a much different story; faded scars where there should be smooth skin, and a stiffness that belonged in a veteran soldier.

"...what?" -Kara managed to ask.

"Sorry about this." -the woman said. She had a heavy british accent, and a commanding tone. She also did not sound particularly sorry. "But you can't afford to make _this_ particular mistake."

Kara couldn't do much more than wonder what that meant before the woman pulled a wooden stick out of her jacket, waved it around, and, with a resounding crack, enveloped them both in a sort of skin-tight, invisible field, surrounded by an immutable, lightless void. The strange field seemed to suck the air out of her lungs, like being in the vacuum of space, but the discomfort soon passed, and they tumbled back into reality.

Kara found herself on an old, wooden floor, her captor standing over her. "Who are you?" -Kara asked, getting her bearings.

"Stark didn't feel the need to inform you?" -the woman wondered.

"... _you're_ the consultant?"

She snorted. "Bit of a stupid title, honestly. I'll let the Doctor clear things up while I fetch your rather _dashing_ companion."

The woman waved her wooden stick again, and vanished in a puff of smoke and the loud snap of instantaneous vacuum.

Kara got up, but the next thing she knew - literally, within the same second - she was seated on a plush sofa, in an entirely different room, across from an older gentleman in what seemed like designer magician's robes.

"Disapparation is _so_ aggravating, wouldn't you agree?" -he asked. He sounded a bit like he was tired of existence, as a concept, and a lot like he thought himself smarter than just about anyone else. "I much prefer sling rings, myself."

"What? _How did you_ …?"

He gestured at her hands, which were now holding a cup of coffee that hadn't previously existed. "What can I get you? Coffee? Ginger ale? Something stronger, perhaps?"

Kara frowned. "I'm good, thanks. Now, _explain_."

The man sighed, and her hands were emptied. "Very well. I am Doctor Stephen Strange. An old friend of Tony Stark's, if only in the sense that we are both _rich_ and had previously mingled in the same circles. He sought me out because he believes I can help you understand and defeat Victor Von Doom."


	27. Chapter 27

**This one's REAL heavy on the lore. It also has our first non-Marvel (or DC, for that matter) character! A couple of you guessed her name correctly...hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Kara raised an eyebrow. The man didn't exactly look like much next to her horrible memory of the armored villain. "That's...I don't mean to sound condescending, but...can you _actually_ help me beat him?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Let's say it's not an _entirely_ unfounded belief and leave it at that, for now. I should note, however, that Stark's ignorance of both my role as Sorcerer Supreme and Victor's own prowess in the mystic arts is glaring, and quite obvious in his... _request_."

"Are you talking about _magic_? _That's_ what the teleportation thing just now was? And Von Doom's attacks?" -Kara asked, narrowing her eyes. "The paralysis, the fainting?"

"Indeed." -he said, cocking his head in surprise, seemingly pleased that she'd understood quickly. "Both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers are ill-equipped to deal with magical foes, least of all Victor."

Kara crossed her arms. "You keep calling him that." -she noted. " _Victor._ You _know_ him. Personally, I mean."

He sighed as he nodded, leaning back on his chair. "I do. As I previously stated, I am Earth's Sorcerer Supreme." -he said. "My position is rather _recent_ , but in essence, I protect our planet against magical threats, and guide those that seek counsel regarding the mystic arts. That's how I met Victor - seventeen, barely a man, but with _so_ much potential. I thought I could train him, make him my first disciple - potentially my successor, in time."

Kara scowled as the Doctor seemed to reflect. "I'm guessing he wasn't a great student."

He almost seemed to want to laugh at this. "Oh no. He was a _model_ student. _I_ , on the other hand, was a fairly poor teacher." -he admitted. "In my inexperience, I overreacted when he confessed his desire to push the bounds of his knowledge into so-called forbidden territory." -he said, then smirked, humorless. "A hypocrisy on my part; the main reason I became Sorcerer Supreme was my willingness to do the same. I failed him; perhaps, in time, I could've curbed his path away from evil, but I fear I only sped him along."

The kryptonian tapped on the armrests at her sides. "What did you do to him?"

"I banished him." -he replied. "That was five years ago."

Kara frowned. "Wait...he's only twenty-two, then? He sounded like an old man to me." -she said, confused. "Though I guess in the holo Tony showed us he _did_ look pretty young."

Strange pursed his lips. "Victor would be twenty-two _if_ he'd aged _correctly_ , yes. And I suppose that's how he chooses to present himself to society, these days, but that's simply no longer his true form. Before he left the Sanctum Sanctorum, he stole the Eye of Agamotto from me, and left a perfect - but utterly useless - duplicate in its place." -he explained, gesturing towards the golden, eye-like necklace he wore.

"What's the Eye of Agamotto?"

"An artifact of great power. It can manipulate the flow of time; stopping, reversing, fast-forwarding, and so on."

A resounding _crack_ startled Kara, and she saw Bruce stumble away from the woman and the site of her 'apparition'.

The scientist coughed and gasped like he'd been choking for a minute or two. " _What the hell_." -he muttered, after recovering. Kara rose and went to help him up, only slightly worried about the swollen green vein on his neck.

The woman smirked, pocketing her weird stick. "I would've imagined superheroes could handle apparating better than the average novice." -she remarked, amused. "Nice to see you aren't so different from us."

"We just…just a _crack_ and we're somewhere else _entirely_." -Bruce rambled, his eyes struggling to focus. "Did you just _teleport_ us?"

The woman seemed elated about the conversation. "Technically, yes! Apparition allows for instant transportation of matter and energy without tangling with quantum physics and its associated risks." -she explained. "It's... _not_ without its own drawbacks, but I like it best as a means of travel. Have since I was a teenager."

Bruce shook his head, still struggling to comprehend. "Just who _are_ you?"

She offered him her hand. "Doctor Hermione Granger." -she said. "It's a _pleasure_ to meet you, Doctor Banner. I _adore_ your work on nuclear physics - that theory on anti-electron collisions? Absolutely _gripping_."

The scientist blinked once, twice. "You...read my paper?"

"Oh, all of them, yes." -she said, eager. "Always wanted to meet you, but you, uh, _disappeared_ before I even got started with my first doctorate."

"Ah." -he said, awkward. "Yeah, the um...the _Hulk_ happened. Sorry."

She shrugged. "I know. I got to meet you now, though, didn't I?" -she said. "I'm eager to share some of my own theories with you! As soon as we deal with Doctor Doom, of course." -she clarified.

Kara coughed a little, smirking. Bruce had a _very_ familiar - and highly tease-worthy - expression on his face. "So...Doctor Doom, Doctor Strange, and Doctor Granger, huh? Is there a PhD in magic I never heard about?" -Kara wondered.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. " _Magic_?"

Granger seemed to puff up. "As a matter of fact, I _am_ working on a rather comprehensive college course on the relationship between quantum mechanics and magical energies - for _muggles_ , you see, what with the walls between our worlds about to come down crashing." -Hermione explained, quite pleased with herself.

Banner couldn't possibly look more confused. Kara frowned as well, but for different reasons. "I...but I thought... _magic_ , really?"

"And what's this about the 'walls between our worlds'? You _really_ need to start from the top, Doctor Granger." -Kara said, apologetic. "I grew up on Krypton; I know a little bit about magic from some of the races my species met out in space, but I've never heard of _Earth_ sorcery before, and I'm sure Bruce is even _more_ clueless."

Hermione blushed. "Oh, I'm such an _idiot_. Of _course_! I must sound like a loon, babbling about magic and apparitions...no _wonder_ you look so befuddled."

Strange rolled his eyes, then stood up. In that same instant, they were all transported to a large, vaulted room with a globe representing Earth in the middle, around which they all stood. Millions of bright, amber lights dotted every continent, spread all around the world in a similar way as humanity. Some things _did_ seem out of place; there were several, sizable landmasses west of Hawaii, for example, that simply didn't appear on any _normal_ world maps.

"It's really rather simple." -Strange said, though it seemed anything but. "There's the world you know and have lived in all your lives - the world of mortals, if you will, with your countries, your presidents, your many technologies and inventions. Intertwined with this reality, but separated by divine means, is another world; a much more chaotic realm, of living myths, of monsters, and magic. Doctor Granger here, for example, is one such creature."

Hermione sneered at Strange. "I'm not a _creature_ , not in the sense that he's implying. I'm a witch; a human woman whose family tree at one point or another contained a demigod or similarly blessed person whose divine parent or patron was a god or goddess of magic, such as ancient Greece's Hecate." -she explained, then pulled out her wooden stick. "The actual divine blood gets diluted after just a couple generations, but the bloodline remains _marked_ , and so there's _always_ the chance that one of the descendants - like _me_ \- gets to pluck the strings of the fabric of reality." -she said, then waved what was now very obviously her _magic wand_ around.

" _ **Expecto Patronus!**_ " -she bellowed. From the tip of her wand, a silver, wispy substance burst forth, and coalesced into a small, ethereal otter. "This is a _Patronus_ charm, one of many established ways to utilize magic for personal defense." -she said, then regarded her newly created familiar. "Go find the Spider-Man for me, will you? Stark said he got struck by Doom. We'll need him to track down the bastard."

Kara watched in awe as the small animal chirped and vanished. Bruce seemed to have broken down a bit.. "Um, let me just let him know your uh... _otter_ is coming." -she said, then pulled out her phone, only to discover that it was _completely_ on the fritz. The screen flickered between total darkness and white noise, which she'd never even _seen_ on a cellphone before. "What? Did I drop this on the way here or something?" -she muttered, frowning.

Hermione hummed. "Oh no, that's just an unfortunate side effect of this locale. Tech and magic don't mix, I'm afraid. Your phone _should_ work fine outside the Sanctum Sanctorum, but none of your gadgets will work when there's _this_ much magical energy around."

"Hence the danger Victor poses. Not only is he hellbent on destroying the divine barrier between the arcane and the mundane, but he _also_ has the means; he has managed to combine advanced technology with powerful sorcery, for the first time in recorded _multiversal_ history." -Strange added, somberly.

Kara scowled. "Why would he want to destroy this barrier?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "Well, the Mist - that's what most call the barrier - obfuscates mortals' perception. Tricks their brain into believing a magical creature or event has a perfectly logical, mundane explanation. Without it, they'd see monsters and the like for what they truly are."

"This barrier is not infallible." -Strange added. "If mortals witness something truly far-fetched, the Mist will cease to work properly. From these situations, we know that most mortals react adversely to discovering that monsters and gods exist."

Bruce snorted. "Yeah, I can see why. Everyone's still in shock about the Chitauri; can't imagine what Ares and Aphrodite walking around would do to people's psyche."

Kara's eyebrow raised. "So, torches and pitchforks. Got it." -she said. "How the _heck_ would Doom benefit from this chaos?"

"Victor became... _egomaniacal_ , during his exile. Charismatic, to be sure, but he is a man who would rule the world with an iron fist if given half the chance - better, in his opinion, than anyone else could." -Strange said, looking at Eastern Europe. "He used the stolen Eye of Agamotto to prolong his lifespan indefinitely; then he spent an eternity wandering the Multiverse, gathering endless knowledge and power, and eventually developing the fusion between technology and magic he now wields - the armor Victor wore when he attacked you is a prime example."

Strange summoned the image of Doom's dark green blade from thin air, which made Kara shiver involuntarily. It was obviously inactive - presumably still in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands - but she could _see_ the remains of her blood on it. It must've dried too fast to remove, becoming indestructible and unremovable again in the process. "I confronted him last week, as soon as Stark told me of your injuries - I had not realized until then that he'd swapped the Eye with a fake. Gone was the idealistic teen I'd rejected, replaced by an old, bitter man who claimed he had seen our inevitable demise approaching. He tossed the Eye back to me, and promised he would stop it. Promised to save _all_ of us, whether we wanted his aid or not. His attacks on both the Mist and your team must have been part of his plans. As such, I can only imagine he's using Project Centipede for his own ends as well."

Kara sighed, conflicted. "I guess that explains some of what he told me." -she said. "He knew about Krypton's destruction, somehow. He probably visited its remains sometime during his voyage."

"Wait, wait, wait. _How_ does trying to kill Kara mesh with the whole 'saving the world' idea, though?" -Bruce asked. "If you want to save the world, wouldn't you want to keep its most powerful defenders, y'know, _around_?"

"Perhaps he's getting rid of potential competition down the line? He _does_ want to _rule_ the world, after all." -Hermione posited. "Without the kryptonite sword, I reckon you have a fair chance of defeating him in a fight."

Strange shook his head. "I honestly doubt causing her death was intended. If Victor had _truly_ wanted to destroy her, he'd have decapitated her, or stabbed through her heart. As odd and morbid as it may be to say, I believe we need to think about Victor's twisted actions from the perspective of someone who genuinely wishes to improve our chances against this 'coming evil' he speaks of."

"I hate to say it, but I could actually see that...maybe he _wanted_ me to survive." -Kara agreed. "He wanted me to realize he could kill me. That, with _that_ ," -she gestured at the sword, " _anyone_ can."

Hermione hummed. "You're saying it's his way of telling you to _be_ _more_ _careful_."

The conclusion settled heavily on them all. Bruce shook his head. "Well, if that's the case," -he said, morbidly amused, "he has a _really_ messed up way to go about it."

Kara rolled her eyes. "That is one _heck_ of an understatement."

Hermione's animal spirit popped back into existence, startling Kara and Banner. It jumped on Granger's shoulder, and chirped something at her. Hermione seemed to blush, while Strange snorted.

"What is it?" -Kara asked eyeing the small mammal curiously.

"Peter is... _busy_." -she answered, embarrassed on his behalf.

Before Kara could wonder how she, too, knew his secret identity, Strange made a repeating circular motion with his hands, tearing into space in the same way Doom had during their fight. The portal formed above them, and through it, Peter and Gwen fell. _Together_.

"Oh my gosh." -Kara giggled, amused. "Were you two _making out_?"

Bruce shook his head, unconcerned with the busted teens. " _Huh_. Spontaneous wormholes." -he noted, nonchalant. " _Why not_."

The two teenagers were obviously very confused, and more than a little dishevelled, though their embrace was clearly too innocent to cause Granger's reaction.

" _Guys_! What gives!?" -Peter hissed, putting on his best impression of a ripe tomato. "This is _very_ not cool!"

Gwen rose first, her pale complexion turning rosy as she smoothed down her skirt and sweater. "Um… _hey_." -she said, looking around, uncertain. Kara gave her a little reassuring wave. "Hi, Kara. Where are we?"

"Welcome to the Sanctum, Miss Stacy." -Strange said cordially. "I apologize for the sudden trip, but we need your boyfriend's help."

Hermione crossed her arms, annoyed. "Could've let them finish their snog in peace, Doctor."

Strange shrugged. "The sooner we get this over with, the faster they can get back to it." -he said, making the pair blush further. "This'll only take a minute."

Peter effortlessly jumped upright. " _We are right here_."

"As intended, yes." -Strange said. His gloved hands became enveloped in glowing amber symbols and runes, oddly reminiscent of mandalas in design. "All magic can be traced. Human magic like mine, divine magic like Doctor Granger's…" -he said, then walked over to Kara, and 'scanned' her. "And of course, alien magic."

Kara's body lit up; her abdomen, knuckles, and knees were all overlayed with blue light, much like that emitted by the Tesseract. She examined her knuckles closely, raising an eyebrow as she realized that the light made them look wounded, and in the process of scarring. "What _is_ this?"

"The Cosmic Cube that you know as the Tesseract is a powerful alien artifact. Its energy is infinite, and its magics can instantly connect two points in space-time, with none of the limits a sling ring, portkey, or the apparition spell has." -he explained. "This is how Thor's brother brought the army at his command during the Battle of New York, and it is what powers and protects Titanium Man's armor."

"They're magical scars." -Hermione summarized. "When you punched the bloke, some of the Cube's energy stuck with your body at the quantum level. Wizards and witches use this sort of imprint all the time to make wands 'recall' their last used spell, hex, or charm." -she pulled out her wand and yelled. " _ **Priori incantatem**_ **!** "

Just ahead of the tip of it, a strange, swirling vortex appeared. "That's an apparition spell." -she clarified.

Strange then turned his hands to Peter, making him turn an almost white shade of blue. "Ah. You were immobilized, weren't you?" -Strange asked. Peter nodded, looking at the glowing layer above his skin and clothes. "That is... _odd_. Victor is not a wizard. He's human."

"So?" -Kara asked.

"Well, he shouldn't be able to use divine magic." -Hermione offered. "He should be using human magic, like Strange. _Maybe_ alien spells, if he found some during his exile, but _petrificus totalus_? Not a chance."

"Well, can you still track it?"

"Yes, of course." -he said. "This, however... _complicates_ things."

Hermione nodded. "See, Strange has a 'jurisdiction'. Barring an _absolute_ emergency, he can't involve himself in the affairs of the other sovereign magical realms without being summoned for aid. If the armored git has managed to somehow _become_ a wizard, Strange can't touch him."

Kara frowned. "Well, _I_ don't _have_ a jurisdiction. Point me at him."

Strange pursed his lips. "As you wish."

The sorcerer ripped the spectral form off of Peter, then collapsed it into a single point in space. He then tossed it at the globe, and it landed somewhere in North America. Kara squinted, trying to make out the tiny letters. "He's in...La Piedad, Michoacán?" -she asked, confused.

Strange rolled his eyes. "Victor is not on Earth. He is not, in fact, _anywhere_ in this dimension." -he said, to everyone's surprise. "If he were, the spell would have moved to track him down. He must have left after he gave me the Eye back."

Hermione cursed and Kara grit her teeth.

"Track his last spells." -Gwen suggested. "You said all magic can be traced, right? Do whatever that _priori_ thing you did with your wand to the magical signature."

Strange hummed, thinking for a moment, then stepped aside for Hermione to try. The witch didn't speak this time, simply pointing her wand and concentrating. A small bolt of light shot out and struck the dot, causing it to flare brightly and turn green. Then, it split into three, each of the fragments finding a new spot on the globe to land on. Everyone rushed to find where they'd landed, a trio of tiny green dots amongst millions of amber ones.

"There's one here, in New York." -Hermione said. "I actually know the place."

"Found another, over in Latveria. No surprise there." -Bruce said.

"Uh...guys?" -Gwen said. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

The blonde was pointing - not anywhere on Earth, but rather _above it_ , somewhere beyond the planet's atmosphere. Kara grimaced. "It makes sense, I guess. We knew he could send people to space. Why wouldn't he be one of them?"

"Let's start small." -Hermione suggested, after a sobering moment. "That dot in Manhattan seems to be at an old bar for magical folks. Been closed for ages, but it's worth a shot. _Clearly_ , Doom thought so."

Peter chuckled. " _Great_ pun, miss."

" _Entirely_ unintentional, I assure you."

Kara smirked. "It's settled, then. We'll visit the old bar first."

"Oh, can _I_ come?" -Gwen asked.

Peter kinda squawked a little. "Gwen, what're you thinking?"

"That I'm really bored and I haven't been relevant to this whole thing since I met Kara." -she said, crossing her arms. "Besides, _you're_ going, and _I'm_ smarter than you."

"Well, _yeah_ , but I have powers and stuff."

"That's _cool_ and all, but that radioactive spider bite didn't get you any closer to taking my first place on the Honors Board. Suck it up, Parker, I'm coming."

Hermione chuckled. "I like her already."

"Well, _I_ hope you guys have a _blast_." -Bruce said. "Midtown Manhattan and I don't gel all that well."

"Oh no! Doctor Banner, please, you have to come with!" -Hermione said. "You need to see magic in action for yourself, after all. Won't even be any fighting, honest."

Bruce hummed, nervous. "I uh...I don't know…"

Kara punched his shoulder lightly, but still made him stumble. "Come on, Bruce. We should get to know Hermione better; I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of her in the near future."

He smiled. "You bring Lena, you have a deal."

The kryptonian blushed to her roots, but nodded. "Done. Let's find ourselves an old speakeasy."

* * *

 **Years ago, when I was a wee lad barely starting to read fanfiction, I read this Avengers crossover with Harry Potter that had Hermione and Bruce Banner as a couple. Since then, it's been one of my favorite rarepairings, so I wanted to hint hint nudge nudge at it here. Not really sure whether they'll _actually_ work out in this story, but I'll give them a shot.**


	28. Chapter 28

**I was originally going to post this chapter and the next as a single unit, but I ultimately felt better separating them. The tone between them is really different, y'know?**

 **Also, trigger warning for (past) internalized homophobia, and some mental health issues.**

* * *

This was getting ridiculous.

"This is getting ridiculous." -Alex noted, leaning on the corner of the hallway leading up to the door to Lena's room, in front of which Kara had been standing for over fifteen minutes.

Kara winced. Alex rolled her eyes fondly. "I doubt she'll bite, Kara. Unless you want her to, that is."

The blonde blushed. "Not helping!" -she hissed, floating over to her sister.

Alex raised her hands. "Alright, I won't tease you. Just remember, your team's waiting for you."

"What do you mean? There isn't a team." -she said, managing a cheeky smirk. "We just happen to be a small group of mostly superpowered concerned citizens."

"Ha-ha. Don't worry, smart-ass." -she retorted. "I know you guys are onto something, so I'll try to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. off your back. I doubt Sitwell's team is gonna get anything done before you, anyway."

Kara frowned. "Sitwell? I saw him earlier, but I just figured he was helping with the setup...what's he doing leading the Centipede investigation?"

"Hell if I know." -Alex admitted. "He's never really been more than an excellent information analyst. I'll try to look into that, too."

"Something about this feels wrong." -Kara said.

Alex put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You mean besides the fact that Fury is stepping all over you guys? Don't worry about that. Just get some results and he'll have to come around."

"Yeah, well. He better. He owes me, after having the sword made."

The brunette nodded, expressionless. "Agreed. Now, go on, get your talk on."

Kara nodded resolute, then floated back to the door. After a moment's hesitation, she knocked, as lightly as possible. Alex gave her a final, affectionate roll of her eyes, then left as the door slid open.

"Oh, Kara." -Lena said, clearly surprised. She was dressed in gym-appropriate clothing, clad in a black sports bra and matching running shorts. Kara wasn't sure why; obviously, she hadn't been outside her room for a while. "I didn't think you'd be visiting. Come in."

The kryptonian offered a small, blushing smile, then walked inside. The room was spartan, devoid of any decoration. Her own had come prefilled with her stuff, courtesy of Tony; it seemed odd that Lena hadn't done anything with her room in a week. The blonde sat on Lena's bed, which seemed untouched. Kara took a moment to really examine the new features on Lena's body as the brunette turned to grab a water bottle from the nearby dresser. Along the sides of her arms and legs were large, permanent needle scars, courtesy of the medical exoskeleton she'd worn. The alien device that'd held the Centipede serum clung to her spine, its amber colored contents still glowing slightly.

"How're you doing?" -Lena asked, opening the bottle of water, downing half of it in a couple of gulps.

Kara coughed a bit. "Fine, I guess."

Lena raised an eyebrow. "Fine. Really? You were in a coma this morning, Kara."

Kara shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, I just...don't really feel any different. It's weird, having a new scar, but that's about it." -she said, her hand ghosting over her abdomen.

Luthor didn't say anything for a moment, instead opting to finish the bottle. "I suppose I'm glad, then. I…I thought we'd lost you for a second, there." -she said. "Turns out we were fretting over nothing. Well, mostly."

"I guess I wasn't exactly around to deal with the fallout, huh?" -Kara said. "I can only imagine what the past week was like. I'm sorry you had to go through it."

"Don't be." -Lena said. "Nobody forced me to sit by your bedside."

Kara nodded. "I know. Alex told me. Thank you, Lena. It means a lot to me."

Lena shrugged. "It's you, Kara. Of course I stayed."

Her stomach lurched a bit. "Are we...actually talking about this, then?"

"Is that not what you're here for?" -she wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yes. Kind of?" -Kara said, nervous. "It was the ulterior motive, I think."

Lena blinked. "O-kay...well, what did you want to talk about, then?"

"I do wanna talk about that, I promise." -she reassured her. "I originally came to invite you to a bit of a group excursion - Centipede related, hopefully - but I'd be lying if I said I didn't spend fifteen minutes outside your door, mulling over what to say. About us."

This seemed to shock Lena a little. "Oh. Well...let's hear it then." -Lena said, sitting beside her.

Kara pursed her lips. "Gosh, just like that, huh?"

Lena chuckled, a bit uncharacteristically nervous. "I find that it's best to just rip off the band-aid with these things. Not that you've ever used one, of course…"

Kara smirked. "Ah, but I've seen them get used." -she said, then took a deep breath. "Alright. Heart to heart, then, Lena. I feel... confused. Frustrated, a bit. Maybe a little hopeful?"

The brunette cocked her head, but didn't interrupt her. "When we met back up at OsCorp, and I lobbed all those accusations at you...well, part of me wanted them to be true. I know that's an awful thing to say, but it's true. It'd make sense, y'know?"

"It'd match the Lena you remembered." -Lena said quietly. "I get it."

"Maybe not so much match you as I could simply...see you going down such a dark path. Don't get me wrong; I was extremely glad to see that I was completely wrong about you, but the part of me that always wondered what I'd done so wrong that you'd reject me the way you did was a little vindictively satisfied."

Lena sighed. "I hate that I made you feel like my actions were your fault. After I...kicked you out, and realized what I'd done, all I allowed myself to hope for was that you'd move on - that you'd forget about me and find happiness elsewhere." -she said. "You didn't do anything wrong back then, Kara. I know it's too little, too late, but that was all on me. I couldn't deal with my own self-hatred, so...I guess I chose to hate you, instead, for just long enough to ruin everything."

"You...hate yourself?" -Kara asked, worried.

Lena hummed. "Less so now than then, but...yeah. You know what it's like, Kara; the weird accent, the dead parents, the strange abilities - your powers, my mind...People tend to hate what they don't understand. Sometimes, you internalize that hatred." -she explained. "When you came along, I started to forget myself a bit, y'know? You were just as weird as I was, just as much of an outcast. I felt safe being myself around you. But then...well, you revealed everything to me. And I wasn't even all that shocked that you were an alien from another world - I'd seen your eyes glow when you were angry, the way you jumped a little too high in joy, and how you totally overreacted whenever you had to fake being frail - but your feelings for me...those were another matter entirely. They forced me to confront my own."

Lena looked Kara in the eye. "I fell in love with you over those six months, Kara. Just as you fell in love with me. And somewhere, in the back of my mind, I knew what that meant, what Jonah would think of me. I just…couldn't bring myself to accept it then. Accept myself, the way I am."

Kara felt oddly warm, like she was maybe burning up on reentry. "You...love me?"

"I did back then." -Lena said, cautiously. "And it's hard to say for sure, because we've only just met up again a couple of weeks ago but...I think I never stopped."

Kara couldn't seem to speak for what felt like an eternity. Lena looked a little downcast, but oddly resigned. "I shouldn't have allowed myself to get so...familiar with you, these past few days. I couldn't help but want to flirt with you, let you know how much I still care, even though I couldn't say it outright." -she said, her eyes watering. "I can't really promise I'll stop feeling this way, but for your sake, and the sake of this crazy superhero team idea, I'm willing to be professional about it."

Kara grabbed her shoulders. "What the heck are you even talking about, Lena?"

Lena frowned, wincing at Kara's strength. "I...your injury, you got hurt because you thought I'd been killed. And earlier, you only got blasted because you were too distracted worrying about me." -she said, confused. "I don't want you to feel obligated to drop everything for me just because of the way you used to feel about me, or the way I still feel about you."

"Lena, I still love you!" -Kara blurted out. "Rao, how could you even think I didn't? I thought I was being super obvious!"

Lena blinked for a good thirty seconds before her brain caught up to the news. "You what?" -she gasped. "Oh my god, Kara, I thought you were just indulging me! Like, for old times' sake!"

"Well I thought you were indulging me!" -she said, half outraged, half amused. "And I was so confused, because I'd see you check me out…"

"I did."

"...and you'd flirt with me…"

"Also guilty."

"And then Alex was all 'she's got it bad for you, sis'..."

"Your sister always was good at reading people, yes."

Kara groaned, covering her face. "Have we really just been in love this whole time?"

Lena smiled. "I think so, Kara." -she said, then turned forlorn. "This is all my fault. I fucked everything up, and I didn't even try to fix it."

"Don't do that to yourself." -Kara said, gingerly taking one of her hands. Serum or no, Kara was still several orders of magnitude stronger than her. "I didn't even know about your self-loathing. If I had, I would've stayed. I would've tried my best to help you see what a wonderful person you are." -Kara said.

Lena shook her head. "It wouldn't have helped, Kara. I wouldn't have listened."

Kara hummed. "Maybe not. But you wouldn't have had to be alone with your own thoughts."

The raven-haired young woman pursed her lips. "We can't change the past, in any case."

"You're right, we can't." -Kara acknowledged. "But...we can do something about the future."

It was Lena's turn to be flustered, apparently. "O-oh?"

"I think we can both agree that our past selves kinda suck at this, but now...well, we know better." -Kara said. "I want to give this - us - a shot."

Lena locked eyes with her. "Kara...are you sure? I...I don't ever want to hurt you again."

"You might." -Kara said simply. "And I might hurt you. Hopefully much less severely, of course, but...we're going to disagree sometimes, and that's ok. That's a natural part of a relationship; as long as we talk things out, we'll be ok."

Lena seemed a little dubious, but the hope in her eyes was undeniable. "I...can I kiss you?"

Kara didn't answer. Instead, she leaned forward, and let her lips find Lena's.

There were no fireworks, no sudden epiphanies about the universe. Lena's lips were a little chapped, Kara forgot to close her eyes until about halfway through the kiss, and clearly, neither of them had much experience to fall back on, but it did feel...right.

"Yes, Lena." -she said, after they surfaced for air. "You can kiss me. Whenever and wherever you want."

* * *

 **Well, yay! Lena and Kara are finally an item! It was interesting getting to this point. Romance isn't really the main element of this fic, after all, and this version of the characters don't really have the classic Luthor-Super baggage. Instead, the obstacles here were just a complete lack of communication, and several mental health issues on Lena's part.**

 **Of course, this doesn't mean that everything will be rosy between them - relationships do have their ups and downs, after all.**

 **Until next time!**

 **EDIT: as a guest reviewer pointed out, there was a small mistake. Quoting here, because I love how it's phrased: "It should be 'coma' not 'comma', unless she was somehow inside a punctuation mark."**

 **I also forgot to modify the text to reflect that Lena grabs a new bottle of water, hahaha.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Internet points for whoever spots the Destiny reference in this one.**

 **Also, curse whoever decided I couldn't include the "at" sign for the following Twitter segment.**

* * *

 ** _Avengers:_ Superhero fans, rejoice! After helping us at OsCorp, _Lena_Luthor_ has decided to join the team! What do you think her callsign should be?**

 **[an attached image shows Kara and Lena smiling and flexing for the camera, Manhattan's overcast skyline visible on a window behind them]**

* * *

"Are you _sure_ you wanna let the public choose your superhero name?" -Kara asked, floating upside down above Lena's bed, watching as the tweet quickly racked in engagements.

Lena replied from inside her bathroom. " _Honestly, I couldn't care less about_ that _particular part of the job._ " -she admitted. " _In an ideal world, I'd just go by Lena Luthor, but I get that that's not_ exactly _how this works, is it_ Supergirl?"

Kara snorted. "No, it isn't."

" _I still can't believe you let my jackass of a stepfather pick your superhero name_."

The kryptonian gasped, scandalized. "Lena!"

" _What? I can both appreciate what Jonah's done for me and recognize he's an absolute tool._ "

She shook her head. "Well, in any case, I prefer not to think about where my name came from too much." -Kara admitted, swiftly blocking some angry user all-caps tweeting at the Avengers. "Though I have to admit, it _does_ somehow feel...right, y'know?"

" _Well, it's certainly catchy._ " -she retorted. The black haired woman then exited the room, changed from her gym clothes into a more street-friendly hoodie and jeans. "Y'know, after wearing the armor for most of last week, I feel kind of naked without it."

"You were _almost_ naked five minutes ago. I bet you didn't even do gym stuff."

Lena snorted. "Don't sound so disappointed."

"I'm not!"

She gave her a knowing look. "In any case, I'll have you know I _did_ do 'gym stuff'. I just don't seem to sweat anymore." -Lena said, oddly frustrated.

" _Huh_. Welcome to the club, I guess." -Kara said, raising an eyebrow. "So, since S.H.I.E.L.D. had you in armor so long, I take it you're Indexed now?

She nodded. "You know it. Got my own stats and everything. They even had me test against Captain Rogers before he left."

"Really? How'd you do?"

Lena shrugged. "I felt like the scientists who oversaw the process were a little disappointed; they probably expected a _bit_ more from the Centipede serum, so maybe not _super_ great. I can get to my top speed faster, but he's got greater endurance. I can punch more quickly, but his blows hurt a lot more." -she explained, wincing as she recalled. "The serum made me fast and agile, but he's just a lot more... _balanced_ , y'know?"

"Still, that's impressive."

"Rogers insisted on saying so, too. I'm still getting used to it all." -she admitted. "I'm hungry all the time now, and I couldn't _begin_ to tell you how many things I've accidentally broken so far."

Kara snorted. "I know _that_ story."

Lena smiled. "I know you do." -she said, then sat beside Kara, who lowered herself to sit as well.

"So they let _you_ off the hook, but what about Andrew and Sasha?" -she wondered. "I haven't seen them around."

The former CEO soured. "Still in custody. They had a lot more to say about Centipede than I did, so Maria Hill _insisted_ they stay. Stark took their gear to Cali."

"He did? What for?"

"Well, I imagine he's not fond of the associated memories, so I wouldn't be surprised if he got rid of them. That being said, he kept ranting about how poorly designed the suits were, so I think that it's more likely that he'll just upgrade them."

That _did_ sound like Tony, Kara thought. "And Skye?"

Lena shrugged. "The hacker you brought in at the last second? Honestly, I'm not sure. She managed to save some of the Centipede data, so it's possible that she's still going over it with S.H.I.E.L.D. It just isn't happening here."

Kara contemplated the ceiling. "I hope they're released soon." -she said. "Understaffed as the Avengers are at the moment, I'll take all the help I can get."

"Does that mean you're the team's _de facto_ leader?" -Lena asked, teasingly.

The blonde cringed. "If so, the world is _kinda_ doomed. I'm not even half as responsible as the job requires."

"I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit." -Lena said. "You've already led two successful missions and managed to get the _elusive_ Spider-Man to become something of a protegé of yours."

"Yeah, well, the last mission I led destroyed an entire company and got me stabbed through the gut." -she replied, sarcastic. "Maybe you're giving me _too much_ credit."

Lena pursed her lips. Worry shone through her eyes, but she quickly played it off with humor. "Superhero growing pains?"

Kara shook her head. "So anyway, what's the deal with this outing?" -Lena asked.

The kryptonian hummed. "Well, _basically_ , this british witch kidnapped Bruce and I and took us to Stephen Strange's magical manor - yes, the former neurosurgeon turned hermit - to try and help us figure out how to beat Doctor Doom. We're supposed to find some kind of clue in an abandoned magical bar."

Lena blinked a few times, clearly confused. " _Right_." -she said tentatively. "I should probably _try_ to take this in stride. New normal for me, and all."

Kara shrugged, amused. "It's alright, Lena. You're talking with a human-shaped alien who can fly and burn things with her eyes. I was _still_ weirded out by all of this."

The irishwoman facepalmed. "What the _hell_ did I sign up for?" -she muttered.

"Adventure? Astonishment? A journey into mystery?"

Lena rolled her eyes. " _Maybe_ the first one. Just didn't expect any of it to include straight-up fucking _magic_. Give me high tech villains and bioweapons any day."

Kara rose, offering her hand. Lena took it, and didn't let go, even as they exited her room and walked to the elevators. "Honestly, " -Kara began, ignoring her blush, "I wasn't all that surprised that Earth had _some_ form of magic. It's a pretty common thing, out in the cosmos."

"What? Seriously?"

"Yeah! It's a bit hard to remember, but I do recall studying some Tamaranean goddess, and Thanagarian reincarnation. And, I mean, just _look_ at the Green Lantern Corps. Their weapons are fueled by _willpower_. If _that's_ not magic, I don't know what is."

"I couldn't even _begin_ to guess at what a Green Lantern is, sweetheart." -Lena sighed. "I know this is barely a _thing_ for you, but you just began dating a pretty confident atheist. If _actual gods_ and the _afterlife_ exist, I _might_ just have an existential crisis."

Kara rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, you're totally right. These things _do_ exist, though, and something tells me we're about to deep-dive into the occult. Better to get the shock out of your system now, right?"

Lena hummed. "I guess." -she begrudgingly conceded. "So...was Jesus a thing?"

* * *

The team - well, the group of concerned, _mostly_ superpowered citizens - met outside of Avengers Tower, the protesters having long since vacated the premises. Peter was the latest, since he'd been out patrolling and gotten caught up in stopping a mugging, as vigilantes are wont to do.

"Well. Don't _we_ look rather conspicuous?" -Hermione asked rhetorically, once they set out. Kara thought so, too; Lena and herself were too young to pass as Peter and/or Gwen's parents, and they, in turn, were too old to plausibly seem like Hermione and Bruce's kids. They could _maybe_ pass as distantly related cousins, if pressed, but Kara wouldn't count on it.

"Yeah, I think we'd stand out less in costume." -Peter said, picking at his neckline, under which a bit of red could be seen.

Lena rolled her eyes. "It's New York, not the middle of Kentucky. No one cares what our group looks like."

Kara pursed her lips. "Still, we should've probably brought the suits, just in case."

"Not to worry." -Hermione said. "I brought them along."

Lena gawked at her. "You _grabbed_ a pair of heavily secured suits from the Tower?"

The witch showed them her purse, which, of course, looked far too small to hold a shoe, let alone Lena's armor or the shield on Kara's chest. "Yup! Everything but the glider, I'm afraid. That one was a _tad_ too large for the purse."

"How the hell…?"

Hermione shrugged. "Creative usage of a Time Turner and some liberal application of the _confundus_ spell. Child's play, really."

"'Child's play', she says." -Bruce said, amused. "Like she isn't just...holding some kind of _singularity_ in her bare hands."

"That _is_ rather cool when you say it like that." -Hermione admitted.

Lena and Kara shared a look, then the raven-haired woman cleared her throat. "I assume this bar is nearby?"

The brit shook her head. "No, not really. Halfway across the island, I believe."

"Oh? Then why are we going on foot, then?"

"Well, New York is a _complicated_ place to move around in. In the magical sense, I mean." -she said. "There was a rather _massive_ battle here, sometime before the forties. Nothing you'd find in a _muggle_ history book, mind you, but it _did_ happen, and it devastated the american magical community."

Lena raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. Hermione continued on regardless. "The government fell, many witches and wizards died...it was chaos. Most magical folks abandoned America after that, and those few that stayed moved away from this city. The whole transport grid here fell apart, of course, without anyone to care for it."

"Wait, so there are no wizards in New York?" -Gwen asked, a bit disappointed.

Granger shook her head. "If there are, I haven't met or even sensed any. Plenty of monsters in the old wizarding side of town, though."

Bruce hesitated. "I thought you said there wouldn't be any fighting."

"Not on your part, no." -she reassured him. "I'll handle it. Shouldn't be a problem."

"'Shouldn't' isn't 'won't'." -Lena noted, crossing her arms. "What aren't you telling us?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "Well...monsters are rather easy to beat if you know what you're doing - and I promise, I do. I'm just not _super_ sure of how many laws I'm breaking by taking you all along."

"What do you mean?" -Kara asked.

The group stopped at an empty alleyway, and, at the witch's prompting, walked inside. The place was filthy, but adequately secluded for secretive magical purposes.

"There's an international law called the Statute of Secrecy. All sapient magical creatures must refrain from performing explicit acts of witchcraft in the presence of regular mortals." -she said, fishing around her purse. "You guys _should be_ exempt, as far as I know; by having superhuman abilities - or in your case, Gwen, knowing that _we_ do - the law shouldn't really apply to you."

Hermione finally pulled out an extremely worn brown boot, and set it on the ground in front of her. "That being said, there's no real precedent for a witch partnering with superheroes before, so it's _entirely_ possible that this little adventure will land me in Azkaban, and your minds forced to forget all about it." -she said, faux-cheerful. Then she pulled out her wand, and pointed it at the boot. " _ **Portus**_ **!** "

The boot flashed bright blue for a second, but otherwise did not change at all. "There we go, one portkey, ready to take us to The Blind Pig."

Gwen cocked her head. "What kind of name is _that_?"

"Not sure, but magical folks seem to like their porcine inspiration. My old school of witchcraft _was_ called Hogwarts."

Lena sighed. "This gets sillier by the second."

Hermione smirked. "Oh, there's a _lot_ of oddities between here and whenever we finish this little adventure, don't you worry." -she said. "Now, if you would all be so kind, please touch the old boot in approximately thirty seconds."

"I'm sorry, _what_?" -Peter asked, incredibly confused.

"The boot will take us there, just trust me."

"Why not teleport, like before?"

Hermione groaned. "I don't even have time to explain why I don't have time to explain. Just grab the bloody boot, people."

Kara didn't feel particularly trusting, but something compelled her to do as the witch asked, placing a finger on the withered garment. She was surprised to find that everyone had done the same, but her shock was much greater when she felt the greatest force she'd ever experienced - worse than the Hulk's punches, and strong enough to actually make her feel like she'd been overpowered, unable to resist - pulling on her navel, towards the boot. The phenomenon lasted but a second, during which they all screamed, a blur of color and light surrounding them. When it ended, they all tumbled away, landing on their rear ends. All except for Hermione, of course, who merely looked them over smugly, standing perfectly upright.

"This is the place." -she said, looking around and pocketing the boot. She pulled waved her wand and murmured a spell, but it didn't seem to do anything, at least that Kara could tell. "No one around but us." -she declared.

"This is the _worst_." -Lena groaned. "I'm already starting to hate magic."

"To be fair, portkeys _are_ fairly rough." -Hermione retorted. "I'm not exactly a licensed professional either, so this one admittedly could've come out a bit better. Promise next one won't knock you all off your feet."

"Promise to teleport us next time, instead." -Kara said, a little shaken. "I'd rather _not_ feel like my guts are trying their best to escape through my belly-button again, thanks."

"Listen, I _vastly_ prefer apparition, too, but it takes longer, there's the whole splinching risk, and some places are actively shielded against it. Considering this bar was owned by a _gangster_ back in the 20s, I chose not to risk it."

" _Splinching_? What's that?" -Bruce asked.

Hermione winced. "Sometimes people'll teleport and, uh, leave some _bits_ behind. An eyebrow, if you're lucky."

Bruce looked a little green - not the Hulk kind, though. " _Yikes_. And if you're not?"

"I heard this one story about a guy who left behind his entire cardiovascular system once. Died, naturally."

Lena pursed her lips. "O _-kay_ , fascinating as that may be, let's move on, shall we?"

"Of course." -the witch said. "Follow me."

The alleyway they'd appeared at was cramped, but much cleaner than the one they'd just left. Kara noted that the air felt weird, like the pressure was just a _bit_ off. There was a dead-end a few feet ahead, red bricks covered in what looked like a few ancient, brittle scraps of paper.

"Well, _this_ may be a problem." -Hermione muttered. "We were supposed to use some kind of poster to enter. I'm guessing this is it, but...well, there's almost nothing left."

Kara hummed, walking forth. She gently punched the wall, which flared blue and stung her knuckles a little before tumbling down to the ground, the bricks oddly intact. A darkened passageway ahead beckoned.

"I gotta say, I kind of expected a little more...fanfare, I guess." -Bruce said, rubbing the back of his head.

"You're not wrong to. This is most likely not how the portal is supposed to function" -Hermione said. "But, like I said, New York is a bit _broken_ where magic is concerned."

The group walked in, Kara and Hermione taking the lead. The passageway was short, and led into the bar proper, down a trio of steps. The place was...well, 'run down' would be a flattering descriptor. Only a few chairs and tables remained, and the stage that once dominated the place was broken in several large pieces, singed from a fire that had burned out long ago. The counter seemed fairly intact, though, even laden with a few bottles of murky liquid and a bizarre sight that managed to spook even the indestructible kryptonian.

Hermione's eyes widened. " _Merlin_ , is that…?"

Kara grimaced. "A human heart stabbed into the wood? Yeah."

Upon closer inspection, the organ was not only perfectly preserved, but _still beating_ , seemingly in perfect health, if not for the dagger pinning it against the countertop. Worst part? Kara's memory was immediately jogged by the blade.

Kara turned to see Lena, suddenly fearful, but found no one except Hermione. Their whole group had vanished, all of a sudden.

"What the…?" -Kara gasped. "Where are the others?" -she asked, walking towards the wrecked stage.

Hermione was enraptured by the heart, but managed to turn away, only to pale. "Oh, _bloody hell_. Where'd they all go?"

"What, you don't _know_?" -Kara asked, a little frantic. "I thought you said you knew about this place!"

"Well _yes_ , but from reading a history book! I've never _actually_ been here before!"

"Well, what about the satanic ritual back there? Did your book say anything about _that_?"

Hermione frowned. "Nothing satanic about it. Whole different branch of magic, Supergirl."

Kara rolled her eyes. "Spare me the semantics lesson, Doctor. Just tell me: any idea why this _disembodied beating heart_ has been stabbed by a Kryptonian dagger?"

* * *

 **Promise this chapter wasn't inspired by the upcoming Harry Potter spin-off. The only thing I'm really pulling from Fantastic Beasts is the bar we're at. No real significance to the story, I'm afraid, just an interesting magical locale in New York. Before you ask, no, there isn't a magical government in this version of the United States. Kinda the Wild West in that respect, and part of the reason Hermione is both in America and kinda...blatant? About her magic usage, I mean. Couldn't get away with it back in the UK.**

 **Also, that tweet from the beginning was kinda meta! I haven't found a superhero name for Lena yet, so I'm asking: do you have any ideas for me? I'm not going with Green Goblin, both because it doesn't really fit the character I'm writing, and because I have *plans* regarding Spidey's nemesis. Lena is basically a more speedy but overall weaker supersoldier a la Captain America; she wears a powered exoskeleton that bolsters her lacking healing factor and fights with a combination of krav maga - JJJ insisted she learn - and thrown weapons, such as knives and plasma grenades. She also has the glider, but it's really just used for transportation for the time being.**

 **I've also created a Ko-fi! If you enjoy what I do, and would like to keep me caffeinated enough to keep doing it, please consider donating! The account can be found under my usual handle, Darthkvzn.**

 **Hope you enjoyed! See you next time!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Pretty short chapter this time, one of those interstitial updates with some nice lore for you guys.**

 **In case you missed it, I opened up a Ko-fi account! It has no bearing on whether I continue any particular story, so it's just a bonus thing. I'm learning to monetize my talents, haha. If you like what I do, and have enough to spare for my ongoing romance with caffeine, I'd appreciate if you'd consider it! You can just search my username (Darthkvzn) on the platform! If not, well, your continued views/favorites/follows/reviews are more than enough.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

"Um...you guys saw that too, right?" -Peter asked, a hint of fear in the confusion of his tone.

Lena's hands bunched up into fists. "Kara vanishing into thin air just as she entered the bar? _No shit_ , I noticed." -she said, then turned to Hermione, scowling. "What the _hell_ is going on here?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'm honestly not sure. There's no one else here but us, I just checked. Some kind of trap Doom left behind, perhaps?"

"If that's the case, why didn't _we_ fall in it?" -Bruce asked.

"If this _were_ a trap, then it'd probably be tuned specifically for Kara. The bastard is _clearly_ interested in her." -Lena begrudgingly noted. "Do you have any way to check if it's safe to go in?"

The witch hummed, then waved her wand, muttering barely audible spells. The air around them shimmered, crackled, and glowed, but Hermione ultimately shook her head. "I can't find anything out of the ordinary. As far as I can tell, what you see is what you get."

Gwen crossed her arms. "What if it's not _your_ kind of magic? Maybe this isn't a wizard's doing."

" _You're right. It isn't_." -an ethereal voice said, coming from the bar. " _A mortal did this, and your friend is in grave danger._ "

Lena frowned. "Who are you?"

A shimmering form coalesced in the middle of the room, at the foot of the visibly broken stage. It was a teenager, no more than seventeen or so, her face striking, with thick eyebrows and marked cheekbones. She was translucent, but Lena could tell that her skin was abnormally pale, and that her long, wavy hair had once been silver and black. She wore a white robe, but it was horrifically stained with copious amounts of what looked like blood, courtesy of the sucking chest wound just over where her heart should be.

Hermione gasped. "Oh _no_. What happened to you, Delphi?"

The ghostly figure pursed her lips. " _I should've known you'd come looking for me. I'm sorry; as you can obviously see, you're too late_. _Victor, he...got to me_."

"But...you're not _dead_. You're not even a ghost." -Hermione countered. "Not yet, from the looks of it."

" _I'm so close to death that the difference is irrelevant._ " -the teen said, forlorn. " _I should've trusted you, miss Granger._ "

Lena shook her head. " _Hate_ to butt in, but...could either of you explain what's happening here?"

Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry, everyone. This is Delphi. She's...the reason I came to America in the first place."

The witch invited them inside, deeming it safe. They followed her in, cautiously approaching the young woman's spirit.

" _There's nothing to fear_." -she reassured them. " _I can't even touch you_."

"It's not really _fear_...well, not much, anyway." -Gwen pointed out. "We've just...never seen a ghost before, y'know?"

Delphi frowned, looking at Hermione. " _Who have you come with, miss Granger? This is no place for mortals_."

"Well, they're not _regular_ mortals." -she said, then looked at Gwen, who'd raised an eyebrow. "For the most part, anyway." -she amended.

" _Regardless, they have no idea what Victor…_ "

"We _do_ have an idea, Delphi." -Lena retorted. "We fought him a week ago, when OsCorp fell. He...almost managed to kill Kara, the woman who just vanished. We're here because we want to stop him, regardless of whatever _magical powers_ he may have."

Delphi regarded her for a moment. " _I...don't understand most of what you said. Still, I appreciate the conviction in your voice. I don't believe you can_ defeat _Victor, but...I can help you save your friend, at least_."

"I...hope you don't mind me asking, but...how do you know Victor Von Doom?" -Bruce asked. "And Hermione here, for that matter?"

" _Hermione...she saved my life. Not that it matters now, of course_ , _but she's the one who found me. The only one who's ever_ really _cared about me_."

Hermione seemed sad to hear this. "Delphi here is, as odd as it may sound, practically a newborn. She's the result of...well, an _experiment_ , done by dark wizards. They wished to bring someone back from the dead, but the ritual was rather poorly handled, to say the least, and the result of it - Delphi - was the only survivor. My ex-husband found her, and we brought her in."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "You were married?"

" _I'm the reason she isn't anymore_." -Delphi said, ashamed.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "My marriage was deeply flawed _long_ before Ronald made clear what he _truly_ thought about you. You needn't worry about that." -she said, reassuringly.

" _I'm some kind of freaky amalgam of the soul of an evil witch who died ages ago, and some lost, lonely girl they killed to host it. I can't begrudge the man for fearing me._ "

"Well _I_ can. Bellatrix Lestrange may have been a psychotic serial killer, but you've done nothing to make me or anyone think you share her taste for sadism. And _trust_ me, I'm _quite_ familiar with her particular brand of evil."

Delphi seemed somewhat mollified. " _Well...I can only hope you're right._ " -she said, then turn to Bruce. " _As for Victor? He's the bastard who did this to me._ " -she said, her voice cold.

Hermione crossed her arms. "Victor sought Delphi out, just a couple months after she was found. We didn't know much about him at the time, other than the fact that he was a powerful sorcerer who claimed to be capable of ridding Delphi of whatever remnant of Bellatrix's soul that may have latched on to her. I didn't trust the man and, like I said, I didn't believe any such procedure necessary. Delphi thought otherwise."

" _I ran away with him a month ago. He_ did _help at first, honestly. Helped me control my random outbursts of power, showed me the world and what his vision of it was._ " -he said. " _But then...I figured out he wasn't a wizard. He was a mortal - one with powers, but devoid of magical blood nonetheless. I tried to go back to Hermione, but he stopped me. Said he needed my blood to gain 'power over the gods', whatever that meant._ _He took my heart right out of my body._ "

Hermione sighed. "Strange theorized that, to be able to use both tech and magic, Doom would need a vast understanding of all kinds of magic, and enough power to force the melding."

"What does this have to do with Delphi, though?" -Peter spoke up.

"The teenager who was murdered for the ritual that resulted in Delphi was a demigod." -Hermione admitted. "A daughter of Hecate, to be exact."

"Greek goddess of magic." -Bruce said, getting it. "Jesus, that's like, all the checkboxes."

" _He did this to me in order to anger my..._ mother _. And it worked; she came to destroy him, only to end up trapped by means I can't even begin to understand. She powers his new abilities._ "

"So, let me get this straight." -Gwen said. "Doctor Doom brought you to the brink of death to piss off a goddess so he could then trap her and use her as fuel for his magic powers?"

" _That sounds about right, yeah._ "

Gwen shook her head. "This is _so_ going on my memoir some day."

Hermione cursed. " _That's_ why the Mist is falling apart. Without Hecate to maintain it, and with Thor and the Chitauri making far-fetched concepts so much more believable…no wonder it's disappearing!"

"We need to stop this." -Lena said, resolute. "I don't know about this _Mist_ thing, but Doom losing such a huge part of his power can only help - and I'm certain we'll find Kara on the way. Suit up, team: let's go save a goddess."

* * *

 **Super honest, here; Delphi is a plot bunny that resulted from reading about Delphini - from the Cursed Child HP spin-off play - hating her concept as it exists in canon, and wanting a "straw that broke the camel's back" situation that'd cause Hermione and Ron's marriage to fall apart, as well as her trip to NYC. Oh, by the way, she's 32 in this - wizardfolk just age slower, so she looks in her mid to late twenties. In any case, I liked my version of Delphi's character more and more as I wrote her, so she evolved from plot bunny, to plot device. Who knows? She might just be a recurring character...**

 **So, demigods, right? I bet you guys know what _that_ means! Sometime in the future, anyway. Until next time!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Oof, I feel like I marathoned this one! I like it, though. I hope you do as well!**

* * *

Hermione just shook her head. "I don't even know what a 'kryptonian' is." -she said, then looked at Kara's raised eyebrow. " _Oh_. A kryptonian is _you_ , got it."

"See, the thing is, I _do_ know this dagger." -Kara said, narrowing her eyes as she approached the strange scene. "...and it should've been destroyed, along with Krypton."

She examined the blade, a dull, dark gray color reminiscent of Kryptonian armor. Part of a familiar phrase could be seen, engraved into the alphabet of her people, and flecked with blood. " _Zhi-she-zha_." -she read, amused.

"What does that mean?"

"Literally? 'Yes-Maybe-No'. It's an idiom, though." -Kara said. "It means 'Get To The Point'."

" _Huh_. Nice name for a knife, I guess."

"It's more than that. This dagger is my aunt's; Astra was a rebel - aggressive and violent, a terrorist really. Uncle Non gave her this blade when they decided to choose a side and fight against the Empire itself." -she said. "I never thought I'd see it again."

"What do you think it's doing here?"

"Well, it's a trap, for sure." -Kara surmised. "I guess Von Doom saw me coming. Not sure what he was hoping to accomplish with this, though."

Hermione crossed her arms. "Maybe he was trying to demoralize you or something?"

Kara shook her head. "If that was his intention, this was a _terrible_ way to go about it." -she said. "It's not like I didn't already miss my family, y'know?"

The witch hummed. "I see. Well, what about the heart?"

"I may have _known of_ magic, but kryptonians are not inherently magical." -Kara retorted. "I think that's more _your_ expertise, Hermione."

"True, true." -she said. "I'm not sure what to make of it, though. Haven't ever come across a ritual like this."

"I guess this is pretty _out there_ , even for magic." -Kara allowed. "Well, it's not connected to anything, but it's also not bleeding out. Think something will happen if I remove the dagger?"

" _Yes_." -she said hastily. "Well, most likely. Just a good rule of thumb for rituals, demonic or otherwise, y'know? Do _not_ disturb the parafernalia."

Kara crossed her arms. "Sounds reasonable, yeah. What do we do, then?"

Hermione thought for a moment, then pulled out her wand. "Let's go deeper, I guess."

The blonde frowned. "Deeper?"

The witch pointed beyond the crumbling wall behind the counter. Sure enough, there was a barely visible door that led into darkness, possibly a tunnel of some kind. This place _had_ been active during Prohibition, after all. "Not sure how to explain it, but I _feel_ something, down that way." -she said.

Kara gave one last glance to the macabre scene on the counter, then nodded. "Alright. Follow me."

Hermione shook her head. "No, no. This is magical territory; I'll lead." -she said, then whispered ' _lumos_ ' and the tip of her wand lit up.

"Are you sure? I can take a hit." -Kara said, concerned.

"I mean _duh_ , you're built like a bloody amazon, but can you take a _spell_? I'm not so sure."

Kara pursed her lips but ultimately nodded. "Alright. Just...be careful."

Hermione winked at her, which Kara though was a _little_ weird - did Hermione seem like the winking type? - but shrugged off. The older woman took point, slowly walking down the corridor. It was an uneventful affair; Kara had expected, at the very least, a few rats running around, maybe a skeleton or two. Instead, there was just a whole bunch of humidity, mold on the walls, and the faint, acrid-sweet smell she was beginning to associate with magic.

"This tunnel kinda looks like the one we went through last week." -Kara noted. "Newer, maybe, but sort of the same style."

"Can't say I'm too surprised. There's a whole _network_ of passageways like these under the city. Well, under most cities, actually. Can't fly on a broom in the daytime, after all, and not every household is connected to the Floo Network."

"Uh-huh." -Kara said, rubbing the back of her head. "I imagine no one uses these anymore, though...right?"

"Hard to tell. Mortals wouldn't be able to find them on their own, but I wouldn't be shocked if some rogue magical elements still had a use for this maze."

Kara's mind immediately went to the actual, real life _ninjas_ Steve, Tony, and Murdock's vigilante group had been ambushed by on the night OsCorp went down. Could they be connected to this whole mess? Tony _had_ described them as 'undead'...

"So...alien, huh?" -Hermione asked.

The kryptonian snorted. "Yep."

"Kryptonian, you said?"

Kara shrugged. "In the way your species might be called Terran, sure. We didn't have a specific name for ourselves. Happens to more sapient species than you'd think. Other space-faring races would call us kryptonian because we came from Krypton, and I guess it stuck."

"Huh. I have to say, I kind of hate it when something like that happens."

"How often do you meet other alien species?" -Kara asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I mean...not getting to choose a name for yourself. Something that you truly identify with. Take _squibs_ , for example." -she said, a note of annoyance in her voice.

Kara cocked her head. "What's a squib?"

Hermione scoffed. "Half a slur, honestly. It's a fairly derogatory way to call a child of wizards and witches who fails to inherit any magical blood."

Kara scowled. "I'll be sure never to use it, then."

The witch sighed. "There's unfortunately no other word for it. Sadly, you'll find that this is the case with a lot of aspects of the wizarding world. You should know; they rather _cheerfully_ call your kind 'muggles', after all."

The blonde stopped in her tracks. Hermione turned around, an inquisitive look in her face. "What's wrong?"

Kara narrowed her eyes. "... _you_ called us 'muggles', Hermione."

She blinked a couple of times. "...did I? I don't recall."

"Yeah, it wasn't even that long ago." -Kara said. "Half an hour, tops."

"Well...sorry, Kara. I didn't mean to. Slip of the tongue, I suppose."

Kara shook her head. "Something's not right."

Hermione frowned. "What do you _mean_ , Kara? You're not making much sense."

"It feels like it's on the tip of my tongue." -she said, frustrated. "Something's been bothering me and I can't quite tell what it is."

"Maybe the magic is getting to you a bit?" -the spellcaster suggested.

"No, no, it's…" -she said, looking around for the answer. She focused on the wall to her left, and it came to her. "The mold...the pattern is the same." -she said, triumphant.

"What?"

"Yeah, look! This bit here looks like Greece and then that part kinda looks like Greenland, and it repeats, over and over. It's been that way ever since we headed down this...pathway." -she said, then looked Hermione in the eye.

Hermione's eyes had been brown when Kara had met her. They'd been brown just before they'd entered the tunnel, too. Now, they were blue. Now, they were _cold_.

Kara's fists closed. "It's _you_ , isn't it? _You're_ what's causing this, whatever it is."

The person in front of her smirked. "...I'll admit, I don't do that well under pressure." -she said.

Then, the walls around them vanished, and so did the floor beneath them. They were both standing in a pitch black void. "I _thought_ the dagger would get you... _he_ said it would. When you just...brushed it off, I had to improvise. You're not as held back by your past as the old man feared."

"You work for Victor." -Kara surmised.

"It's not _quite_ like that, no. This is a favor I'm doing for him, not a _job_. No, I work for myself."

Kara's eyes blazed blue. "Who are you, and what did you do to my friends?"

Not-Hermione shrugged. "I just needed to get you away from your little group. I'm _sure_ they'll be fine. As for who I am…" -she said, then she vanished.

Kara looked around, ready for an ambush. She needn't have worried; whoever the impostor may have been, they had a taste for theatrics; a gigantic figure rose before her, gaudily dressed in a green, seemingly quilted bodysuit and an overly long purple cape, a ridiculous domed helmet obscuring his features, filled with swirling white vapors. He cackled, and gleefully bellowed: " _ **I AM MYSTERIO! MASTER OF ILLUSIONS!**_ "

Kara winced, her sensitive hearing making the boast a little painful. "You said it yourself, pal." -she said, nevertheless. "Master of _illusions_. None of this is real."

" _ **ARE YOU SURE?**_ "

Suddenly, something blasted her in the back, forcing her to tumble in the void. She turned around when she stabilized, and her blood seemed to freeze in her veins; floating ahead, with his palm open towards her and still smoking from the blast, was Doctor Doom himself.

" _Is that_ fear _Doom sees in your eyes, Kryptonian?_ " -the armored man asked, casually, his voice as frigid as the first time they'd met.

 _Yes_ , Kara wanted to blurt out. Why _wouldn't_ she be afraid? This was the one man who could _actually_ kill her. "Just eager for a rematch." -she said instead, striking a pose. "Didn't think it'd come this soon, but _I'm game_ , you third-person-speaking weirdo."

Doom hummed. " _Perhaps Doom was too lenient last time_." -he said. " _This can be easily amended_."

He blasted her again, so she crossed her arms in front of her. The beam pushed her back, but didn't hurt, thankfully. Doom then blinked out, and reappeared right in front of her, grabbing her neck with considerable strength. Kara almost rolled her eyes, but then he electrocuted her, making her nervous system flare with pain.

Through it, though, she managed to kick his midsection, causing him to grunt in pain and fly away, though not before he let loose a torrent of micro-missiles from his shoulder pauldrons, all of which hit her. She shook herself, then her eyes widened as she noticed Mysterio's massive hand about to squash her. With no time to fly away, she squared herself, and put her own hands up, catching and stopping it - she barely noticed that there was a floor beneath her, now, where there had only been the void before.

Kara grit her teeth, then yelped as she lost her footing, a portal suddenly opening beneath her feet. She fell through it, of course, and into a withering, superhumanly fast flurry of blows from Doom. She covered her face, waited for an opening, and countered by tapping into her own burst of speed, grabbing the man's fist, and throwing him as hard as she could muster with her improvised move towards Mysterio's head. Doctor Doom flew, but managed to open up a portal to avoid hitting his fellow supervillain.

Doom reappeared on Mysterio's shoulder. "Enough _. These theatrics are pointless. You are impervious to damage._ "

Mysterio cackled. " _ **NOT**_ **ALL** _**DAMAGE, MY DEAR DOCTOR!**_ "

The techno-wizard narrowed his cold, green eyes. " _True enough_."

He reached for his belt, and pulled out the kryptonite sword, powering it up. Kara immediately felt weakened, if not crippled; the blade was far enough away that she could still move around. For a second, she entertained the idea of running away, but she'd never escape the massive illusionist's clutches in time.

Wait. _Illusionist_.

Kara wanted to facepalm hard enough to send herself to the moon. She looked at her clothes, and found them paradoxically untouched. She'd been blasted with dark energy, shot with missiles, and repeatedly punched with magical hands; her sweater and jeans should've been naught but a fond memory.

"Dang it." -she said, and sighed. "I _totally_ fell for it."

The kryptonian then used her heat vision, blasting Doctor Doom square between the eyes. Her dreaded nemesis simply crumpled into a heap.

Mysterio seemed stupefied. "What...what have you _done_!?"

Kara flew over, nonchalant. She grabbed the kryptonite blade, bare-handed. "I figured it out, _Mysterio_. Well, I already had, but I have to say, you made a convincing Doom - made me forget all about it. The dagger didn't do much for me, but...well, _he_ did."

She crushed the blade - which had stopped affecting her as soon as she'd stopped _believing_ it to be real - and it popped out of existence. So did Doom's 'corpse', after she nudged it with her foot. "I'll hand it to you; these illusions really _are_ impressive. Good enough that I'd consider putting in a good word for you with S.H.I.E.L.D. - heck, even the _Avengers_. Unfortunately, you made the mistake of preying on my fears for a laugh and a cheap trick. You are going _down_."

Mysterio whimpered a little, then popped back into his normal size. "I TIRE OF THIS! Another day, perhaps! Enjoy your _actual_ foe, kryptonian!" -he said, then disappeared into the ether.

As soon as he left, his illusions went away; the void was replaced with a domed, circular underground hall, dominated by what looked like a singularity contained by a device that reminded Kara of the Tesseract portal-maker, which was in turn hooked up to dozens of machines that lined the walls of the place. There was a man before it, tall and dark haired. He turned around, and smirked. Kara was not reassured.

"Mister Beck took his sweet time getting you here, didn't he?" -Victor Von Doom casually asked her. "Come, Kara. We've much to speak of."

* * *

 **Mysterio is a criminally underused Spider-Man rogue. I didn't actually know he'd be part of the MCU come the next Spider-Man film until long after I thought to include him in this story; happy coincidences, I guess! In this story, he has quite a different backstory from his comics incarnation. Good ol' Quentin Beck owes a lot to Doctor Doom here, for reasons alluded to in this chapter, and explained in the next. I've never actually seen him in motion, so this is mostly my interpretation. I hope you enjoyed his inclusion! We're not done with him yet.**

 **I hope this chapter was to your liking! If you like what I do, I set up a Ko-Fi under my username (Darthkvzn) you can look up and contribute to! It's super unnecessary, but I'd appreciate the heck outta ya! Regardless, see you next time!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Caution: lore dump ahead.**

 **Hahaha for real, though, this one took so long to get right, but I'm glad it turned out the way it did. Writer's block defeated, and the semester ends soon, so I'm hoping I can update more often. Sooo much to get through still...**

* * *

"You _really_ need to decide on an appearance." -Kara said, crossing her arms, sounding far braver than she felt. Whatever else he might've been, the man before her was no illusion.

Victor cocked his head. "This is what I _should_ look like. Is this form not to your liking?" -he asked, innocently.

"I don't see how that's relevant here."

"I can always change it." -he said, as if she hadn't spoken, then his body changed, aging half a century in an instant. He still looked regal in his tailored suit, with his long, light-gray beard and shoulder-length white hair, but his eyes betrayed utter exhaustion. "This is what I _do_ look like, these days."

"Why?" -she asked.

He offered a deceptively kind smile. "Mastering the Time Stone took me decades, Kara. I could have reversed my aging, of course, but then the effort and sacrifice would've been moot. I only decided to halt it, so that I may achieve my goals during my lifetime."

"What's the Time Stone?"

"Ah, I forget. You would know it by the name Stephen calls it: the Eye of Agamotto."

"The artifact you stole."

He shrugged. " _Borrowed_ , really. The lure of an Infinity Stone is much too powerful for me to keep it around indefinitely."

Kara felt _something_ stir uncomfortably within her at the words ' _infinity stone_ ', like that saying...like someone had walked on her grave. She felt the need to change the subject, unnerved. "So, what's the deal with Mysterio?"

Von Doom hummed. "There really isn't much to say about him. He's...what do they call it? A _squib_? He was born devoid of magical abilities into a family of wizards and witches. He became an illusionist, much to his family's chagrin, and was disowned for it - decided to end his life in a tragic display of failed pyrotechnics. So I approached him, offered him the ability to turn his petty tricks and illusions into reality, in exchange for a lifetime of... _favors_. The man obviously accepted."

"He's unhinged."

"And all the happier for it." -he countered. "He may not be the most stable individual, but he's _alive_. I saved a life that day. I'd think you of all people would appreciate that."

Kara crossed her arms. "I don't exactly _enable_ potentially criminal, mentally ill people with superpowers while I do my job."

He raised an eyebrow. "Don't you, now? What of the Daredevil, and his posse of vigilantes? What of the Spider-Man? Good intentions or not, they _do_ commit multiple crimes on a nightly basis, all in the name of justice."

"Those 'good intentions' make a _world_ of difference." -Kara countered. "We might make mistakes, sure. Some more costly than others. At the end of the day, though, this is the best possible way we can use our abilities."

Victor hummed. "I don't disagree. I would not have brought you here otherwise."

Kara frowned. "What do you mean?"

He turned to the singularity behind him, and motioned for Kara to follow. Kara approached, cautiously, if only to be within punching distance of her enemy.

"What is it?" -Kara asked. It really _did_ look like a small black hole, a tear in space-time filled with unfathomable darkness that somehow shone. If not for her superhuman eyes, she could imagine the light blinding her in mere moments.

"A goddess." -Victor supplied. "Hecate, the greek patron of the magical arts."

Kara gasped. "How the _heck_ are you holding a goddess captive?"

"The same way your people held Rao prisoner." -he said. "By _coercing_ her into staying."

The kryptonian blinked. "What are you saying?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you _really_ not know, Kara?"

"Clearly not."

Victor sighed. "I assumed your parents would have told you, before the end. No matter, I can explain." -he said.

"It may seem like we've only just met - I've not left the best of first impressions, I know - but the truth is, I've known you for quite some time. Stephen told you some about my travels, no? Of the many different worlds I visited, and from which I learned the secrets of melding technology and sorcery?"

Kara nodded. "He did."

"The last of my 'stops' along the way back was another Earth, much like this one - filled with strife, but also so much _potential_ , so many champions willing to risk it all to safeguard humanity from the many, many evils that continuously attempt to control or destroy it. There, I found _you_."

The blonde shook her head. "You're not making any sense."

" _Patience_." -he advised, an edge of warning to his voice. "This Kara Zor-El was _powerful_ , of course, much like yourself - yet she was barely noticeable, a veritable wallflower in this other-world's heroic community. All because of a single man - your kin, arrived much before you, and thus having taken for himself your rightful place as the premier defender of Earth."

" _Kal-El_." -she said, her voice catching a little. "You're talking about my cousin."

"Indeed. The Superman of Krypton, illustrious leader of the Justice League."

Kara took a moment to compose herself. Kal-El was _alive_ , apparently, even prospering on this supposed elseworld. Not only this, but she'd apparently met him, and fought alongside him. "You met him?"

He nodded. "Once. He was a busy man."

" _Was_?"

"I did not harm him, Supergirl. No need for fretting." -he said, catching the edge in her voice. "But I know not if he is still the same man. I did not particularly care about the consequences of the alterations I made to that particular timeline, and of course, I did not stay to see them unfold."

Kara's features hardened. "What _exactly_ did you do?"

Victor smirked, a little sad. "Do you ever feel like an outsider, Kara? Like you don't belong, beyond your obvious alien status?"

"I assume everyone does, at some point or another."

"Not the way you do, I assure you. Not everyone feels like the very atoms that make up their body are just _ever so slightly_ _off_. Like the electrons, protons, and neutrons that make _them_ up vibrate at just a barely noticeable but _decidedly_ different rhythm."

Kara _had_ felt something like this. Not often, especially after her first few months on Earth, but sometimes, she _would_ get this feeling of... _wrongness_. "What's your point?"

Victor hummed. "I feel that way right now, Supergirl. I'm not a _fool_ ; I know you wish to stop me, and I acknowledge the fact that we will eventually clash, but the time for that has not yet come. So, while I _am_ here, to tell you all of this, this form is being projected from another dimension entirely. I am a foreigner in the realm I currently inhabit; so are you, on this dimension."

Kara's response was rash, though, she thought, rather justified. She backhanded Victor after a moment, with enough strength to _probably_ kill him, certainly crush his jaw. Her hand simply went through his face, however - Von Doom may not have been another illusion, but he was indeed projecting himself across dimensions.

"I imagine you've worked out what happened already." -he said, mildly amused. "I deserved that, I admit it."

"You deserve much more than _that_." -she spat. "You _separated_ us, didn't you? Sent me to another universe entirely, for whatever twisted purpose you have for me. You literally put a goddamn _dimension_ between me and my only remaining family."

"I did, yes." -he admitted. "But my purpose is far from wicked."

Kara grit her teeth. "I don't _get_ you, Victor. You work with Centipede, mutate teenagers, kidnap _gods_ , and attempt to _murder me_ , and then pretend to have these _good intentions_ , like it's all part of some grand plan to save the Earth, or something. I'm _sick_ of it."

"I appreciate the sarcasm, but the truth is exactly as you describe. I _am_ trying to save Earth, and _you_ are the key to my efforts."

"You're insane."

"Perhaps." -he allowed. "Or maybe I've ' _run the simulation_ '. I've seen _exactly_ what happens to this universe when you're not in it. There are fixed points in time, events that _must_ come to pass. I learned this from Krypton's destruction."

"What, you tried to _prevent_ it?" -she scoffed.

He nodded. "I won't pretend to care about Krypton's fate, but I wanted to try and stop another world from dying - as a test, you see. No matter what I did, how many different things I tried? Krypton was _still_ destroyed. Your sun would suddenly become a supernova, or the core would spontaneously explode. The last thing that destroyed your world, to my knowledge - and unbeknownst to you, apparently - was Rao's wrath."

"The _god_?"

He sighed. " _Yes_ , the god." -he said, then pointed at the tethered goddess. "Even the most minor of deities has enough power within itself to _at least_ destroy half a continent. Your sun god was tricked into slavery, trapped within the planet's core to fuel the Empire's growth, millennia before your time. Your civil war was the _perfect_ opportunity for him to escape - leaving him virtually unguarded, weakening his bonds, and bolstering his power - and so he did. _Explosively_."

Kara shook her head. "This is _ridiculous_. You _must_ be lying." -she said, glowering at the man.

"What could I _possibly_ gain from lying about this?"

"Getting under my skin, for one." -she said. "Trying to make me develop some twisted sense of gratitude towards you, even. Whatever the case, _I'm not buying it._ "

Doom shrugged. "You are free to believe what you like. The facts exist, regardless." -he said. "I suggest, however, that you ask Stephen about your cape, and the symbol of your House you so proudly wear on your chest. Ask him what they're made of, and why they're indestructible."

"In any case, I saved your pod, and sent it here, where I knew you'd _actually_ make a difference."

Kara didn't know what to say; it could easily all be a huge fabrication, meant to destabilize her, but the man's words rang true. Kara knew that Krypton's expansion into outer space had been much too fast and aggressive to be feasibly accomplished with the resources of a single planet - or even two, if she considered Daxam. And _sure_ , the idea of a _god_ cracking her world open like an egg seemed ridiculous at first, but so was a spontaneous supernova consuming it.

A little voice at the back of her head reminded her that S.H.I.E.L.D. had never found Krypton's star system, even with the nav data from her pod. Was it possible that Krypton didn't even _exist_ in this dimension?

Kara punched the device holding Hecate captive. The ultra dense metal dented, but it didn't seem to affect its functions. "Why me?" -she asked.

Victor warily eyed the singularity for a moment before answering. "Only two kryptonians survived Rao's wrath. You, and your cousin. Kal-El's fate was sealed, but yours was... _malleable_."

"Without you, the Avengers would've already dissolved. They would assemble again when the world needed it, of course, but they would not stay together. Even though Director Fury has chosen to separate you, for the time being, you've already instigated a bond with your teammates that cannot be broken, and have inspired others who would not have joined the cause to become heroes in their own right."

Kara wanted to deny it, more than anything, but she immediately remembered the hope in Tony's eyes upon meeting her, the admiration voiced by Rogers, and the concern for her safety from the entire team when she'd faced the Hulk. She recalled her thoughtful conversation with Peter on the nature of heroism, and convincing Daredevil that they were all stronger together than they were apart. And then there was Lena, her love, who'd jumped at the chance to become a hero, just like her, by taking the Serum and becoming a supersoldier.

This sociopath of a man was telling the truth - and this, more than even the kryptonite sword and the attempt on her life, awakened the wrath inside her.

"Who the _hell_ do you think you are, playing god with our lives?" -she said, her eyes blazing with blue flame. "Who gave you permission to play with my destiny?"

He narrowed his eyes. "We don't need _anyone's_ permission to do what's right, Supergirl. And I promise you this: I _will_ save this world, on _my_ terms."

"Stop giving me that _crap_ , Victor. If you _truly_ wanted to just save the world, you'd be fighting alongside us, not trying to _control us_ like we're just pawns on a chessboard." -she retorted. "You wouldn't be working with Centipede, enabling their horrific practices, tricking Sue and the others into a life of _slavery_. You wouldn't be hiding behind illusions and tricks, knowing _full well_ we're coming for you."

She walked up to him. "You don't just want to save the Earth from whatever vague _evil_ you claim is coming; you want to _rule it after we save it for you_."

Victor frowned. "I've spent several lifetimes perfecting my plan for Earth's defense, child. Without my influence, half the _universe_ would be doomed." -he said. "So _yes_. I _do_ expect you to follow my plan, and the citizens of Earth to be _grateful_ towards their ultimate savior."

"I'll make _sure_ that doesn't happen." -Kara claimed. "Starting right now!"

The kryptonian turned, and swung her fist towards the machine holding Hecate captive, but just before she could connect, a metallic hand stopped her. Where Victor's frail old form had stood, now there was his dreaded armored appearance.

" _How_ ungrateful _._ " -he said menacingly. " _Doom saves your life and gives you the unique opportunity to make something worthwhile of it, and you try to throw it away at the first chance you get_."

"Oh, I'll do _more_ than just _try_ , old man." -she retorted, blasting his shoulder with her heat vision. The beam scorched his pauldron, causing him to release her and groan with pain. She then followed up with a right cross, straight to his chin, which sent him sprawling away.

She turned her attention back to the machine, then started beating it up, hit after hit warping the metal and causing its circuitry to spark dangerously.

Doctor Doom rose, growling, and blasted her with dark magics. Kara winced, as the strange beam _did_ hurt her, but she ignored it, and kept hitting the device. The singularity became brighter and brighter with each punch, losing its darkness until a final blow cracked it in half, just as Doom lunged toward her.

Kara only had a moment to enjoy her triumph before the object before her detonated, a wave of light expanding like a bomb had gone off, powerful enough to make her stumble, and throwing Doom far away.

When she opened her eyes again, she became mesmerized; in the device's place stood a woman, pale as moonlight, holding a couple of torches. Her hair was so black it almost had a blue shine to it, curly rivulets of it held back in traditional ancient greek style.

" **I am Hecate, goddess of magic**." -she said, filled with rage. " **And I am your plaything NO LONGER!** "

Kara's eyes widened as the goddess began to turn into a column of pure energy, and she tried to shield herself to no avail, as Hecate made her explosive escape.

* * *

Peter was double-checking the webbing holding this 'Mysterio' character captive when the hairs on the back of his neck stood.

"Something bad is about to happen." -he said, dropping from the lamppost the unconscious illusionist was hanging from.

Lena turned from her conversation with one of the first responders, and frowned. "What is it?"

Spidey shook his head. "Not sure. It's big, though."

The supersoldier crossed her arms, visibly worried. "Do you think it's Kara?"

Before he could answer, the ground began to quake, and sure enough, some six blocks down the road, by some abandoned docks, the ground erupted into white flame, which coalesced into - get this - a gigantic, roaring woman in a toga. The otherworldly phenomenon lasted only a few seconds, and then she vanished, thunder inexplicably booming across New York's skyline.

"I'm sure you know Kara better than I do...but yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and say _no_." -Peter quipped, as bits of superheated gravel and pavement began to rain down upon them.

* * *

 **No mortals were harmed in the goddess' escape. Somehow.**

 **So, there you have it. The reason there are so few DC characters around...is that they're on another castle! I mean, Earth. Think about it this way: Doctor Doom watched the MCU movies and went, "Hey, maybe I can prevent Mr. Purple Prune from winning." So, he sent Kara to Earth, among many other machinations, and kind of _accelerated_ things along.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you guys want to fuel my addiction to caffeine, look your pal Darthkvzn on Ko-fi. Otherwise, I just hope you keep reading! Until next time!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Shorter, quieter chapter this time around. Wanted to get more done, but this holiday season was particularly lacking in the productivity department. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Lena found Kara looking at stars.

The last twenty-four hours had been something of a blur; between government officials trying to play off an escaping, hundred-foot tall greek goddess as some kind of mass-illusion induced by the explosion of a gas line under the crater she left behind - _talk_ about _convoluted_ \- S.H.I.E.L.D. mandating house arrest (in all but name) for their little team - minus the spider kids, who'd managed to scamper off beforehand - until things blew over, and the videos of Hecate's wrath quickly spiraling into viral territory, Lena was exhausted and frustrated.

Kara, on the other hand, had seemed a bit... _listless_.

After emerging from the rubble, she'd taken a couple hours to prepare a report she'd subsequently handed to Maria Hill, then shut herself in her room. Lena knew she needed the space, especially after facing Doom a second time, so she gave it to her.

Now was the time to be proactive.

"Hey." -she greeted gently, placing her hands on Kara's shoulders.

The blonde hummed in acknowledgement, but otherwise didn't say a word. She was staring at a particular point in the hologram displayed throughout her whole room - a spot that was _conspicuously_ empty.

"What are you looking at?" -Lena asked.

Kara gestured around herself. "The Orion Arm of the Milky Way. A tiny fraction of it, anyway."

"Oh. Y'know, I was never much of an astronomy nerd, but...that's our neighborhood, right?"

Kara nodded, then pointed at a tiny, shining dot near the ceiling. "Sol." -she said, then pointed to another, by her bed. "Vega."

She then pointed at the empty spot, by the currently opaque window. " _Rao_." -she said, then sighed. "Or, at least, where Rao's star system is _supposed_ to be."

"You've talked to me about this before." -Lena recalled.

"Yeah. I've never been able to find it. Not me, not S.H.I.E.L.D….and it's not like we haven't been looking, either." -she said, frustrated. "My planet _exploded_ , Lena. It's not a cosmic event that happens every other day, and it's _certainly_ not something you miss, if you're looking at the sky. _Especially_ considering it's only about fifty light years away. And even _if_ you somehow managed to miss Krypton's destruction, the star and the rest of the system should still be around."

Lena frowned. "Why bring it up now?"

Kara hesitated. "You _know_ I talked to Doctor Doom."

"I know you talked to his _astral projection_." -she said, disgusted. "That goddamn coward couldn't even bring himself to face you in person."

Kara spared a small smile for her fury. "Still, he said...well, a _lot_ of things." -she said, sounding tired. "But he had this big plot twist prepared for me and...honestly, it got to me. It's messing with my dang head."

"Which, I'm guessing, is _exactly_ what he wanted." -Lena pointed out. "So, why give him the satisfaction?"

"Because I don't think he was lying." -Kara said.

Lena scoffed. "I find it hard to believe that the man constantly hiding behind smoke and mirrors would be truthful for once."

Kara shrugged. "He knew things he shouldn't have. Things I haven't told anyone - not even my sister, or _you_."

The raven-haired woman pursed her lips. "Okay. So, what was it? What was the big, life-changing revelation?"

The Kryptonian looked away from her, took a deep breath, and told her. "I... _might_ not be from this universe."

Lena narrowed her eyes, trying to meet her girlfriend's, but Kara wouldn't look at her.

"... _ok_. I guess that's _fairly_ major. And you're sure?"

Kara gave a half shrug. "It would explain the missing star system. How Doom - alleged interdimensional time traveller - knows so much about my homeworld and my people, when I _know_ no other Kryptonians survived here. And then there's the Chitauri invasion..."

"What about it?"

"Well, I hadn't really thought about it, but...it's been almost a month since it happened, and no Green Lantern has visited the planet."

Lena raised an eyebrow. "You mentioned those before. Who are they again?"

Kara pursed her lips. "They're the guardians of the universe; they promote and enforce intergalactic peace using rings of near-infinite potential, fuelled by their willpower. You wouldn't think so, but there are _actual_ _rules_ for invading a sovereign world, and Loki's attempted takeover broke, like, _half_ of them." -Kara explained. "There should be at least _one_ Lantern assigned to this sector of space. And if there _isn't_ , a representative should've already come by to begin dealing with reparations and Loki's prosecution. For there to be _nothing_? It's just _unheard_ of."

"Did Krypton have one? A Green Lantern?" -Lena asked.

Kara blinked. "Oh...yeah, it did. I think he was called Tomar-Re? Not _super_ sure. Krypton was the heart of an interstellar empire - crumbling, but still - so he was the 'on-site, 24/7' kind of Lantern." -she said, amused. "I met him once, when I was very young. All I remember is that he had a funny beak."

"... _right_."

"Anyway. I'm not sure what to think." -Kara admitted. "Doom basically told me that _he_ put me here. That my entire life on Earth - on this _whole_ _dimension_ \- has happened by his design. He _knew_ that I'd become Supergirl, somehow. That I'd inspire _others_ to become superheroes of their own." -Kara said, conflicted. "And...I think he expected his telling me all of this to make me join him yesterday."

Lena scoffed. "If he claims to have planned out your whole life, then he's _shit_ at it. How does your rejecting his big _Darth Vader_ moment help him in any way whatsoever? You freed the goddess he was holding captive, got his _lackey_ captured, and ruined whatever plan he had with Delphi!"

Kara turned. "Delphi?"

"Oh, right, you weren't around for the debrief." -Lena said. "That depraved _fuck_ had a girl held captive - Delphi. Hermione said she was a _demigod_ of some kind, that Doom used her to lure Hecate to the trap."

The Supergirl pursed her lips. "That's horrible."

"Yeah. S.H.I.E.L.D. found her hooked up to some terrible machine. Her heart was _outside_ her _body_ , Kara. I don't even know how her body didn't shut down. Or get horrifically infected."

Kara's eyes widened. "... _wait._ " -she said, suddenly turning. "That was _real_? I thought it was just one of Mysterio's illusions."

"No, Delphi's _definitely_ real. Which means I _have_ to believe in ghosts now, too. _Great_."

"You get used to it, promise." -Kara said, amused. "Is the girl gonna be okay?"

Lena shrugged. "Medically? Probably. They performed open heart surgery on her most of yesterday, put everything back where it belonged. No idea about the magical side of things." -she admitted. "They probably have to stick her soul back into her body or something, like a reverse exorcism."

Kara hummed, contemplating the lingering holographic stars for a moment, then dissipating them with a gesture. "How's the world taking the fact that magic is real?"

"Oh, it's kind of _chaos_ out there." -Lena said, sheepish. "S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to cover things up, but they couldn't really do anything in time, so Hecate's escape went all _kinds_ of viral. People are demanding answers, the government is keeping quiet...I heard some of the agents around the Tower talking about a big meeting at the UN, but...well, nobody really seems to know what to do."

Kara sighed. "Damn it. I should be out there, instead of moping around in here."

Lena fondly rolled her eyes. "You're allowed _some_ downtime, sweetheart. _Especially_ after facing Doom again."

"Still, I've wallowed enough. I'm going out. You coming?" -she asked, determined.

The brunette pursed her lips. "Well, that might pose a bit of an issue. I don't think S.H.I.E.L.D. wants us to leave the Tower." -she said, then crossed her arms. "Scratch that, I _know_ they don't want us out there."

Kara frowned. "I guess I can see why - we _have_ caused them a few problems. Still, I need to get out of here. Who's in charge right now, Sitwell? Maybe I can convince him."

"Nope. You're looking for Nick Fury."

"He's _here_?" -Kara asked, bewildered. "I thought I might've seen him around the other day, but the man _never_ stays put for long."

Lena shrugged. "Well, their flying base got taken out of commission and sent to dry-dock, didn't it?"

"Sure, but the Helicarrier's far from their _only_ base. Alex even said they might have to relocate to the old Triskelion facility, in D.C." -Kara said. "I guess it's fortunate that he's here, though. It's about time I berate him for making the kryptonite sword."

Lena scowled. "Maybe it's best I don't go with you, then. I might get... _punchy_."

Kara smirked. "That's fair. Though, let's be honest, Fury could always use a _little_ punching. See you later, then?"

"Sure thing." -Lena said, then rubbed the back of her head. "Hey...if you want, we could, y'know...go on a date or something? I hear it's a good way to get your mind off of unpleasant things."

"A _date_ , huh?" -Kara wondered, smiling. "Sure! That sounds good. Have anything in particular in mind?"

OsCorp's former CEO hummed. "Yeah. Well, _maybe_. Depends on whether you can sweet-talk Big Brother into letting us out of the Tower."

Kara winked at her. "Then you better get ready for tonight, because there's no _way_ he's saying no to me."

* * *

 **Just so we're clear, Kara's willingness to go on a nice date with her girlfriend doesn't mean she's ok. Some of us, even when feeling like life has beaten us down, still try to be social and such. Everyone deals with trauma differently, right? In any case, it's not a plot development that's going away anytime soon.**

 **As always, feel free to ask any questions you might have via review or PM. You can find me on social media as Darthkvzn (on Twitter and Ko-fi) and darthkvznblogs on Tumblr. Otherwise, I hope to see you on the next chapter!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Worked this one out super quick, thankfully. Again, not very long, but I'd rather write shorter enjoyable chapters quickly than spend months on a longer one that I don't end up happy with.**

* * *

"No." -Fury said to Kara, looking more tired than she'd ever seen him before. "The Avengers may not leave the Tower, for _any_ reason, no matter how noble, until further notice."

Kara groaned. " _Seriously_?"

Fury raised an eyebrow. He'd taken over the Tower's command center - aka Tony's office - setting it up as his temporary headquarters, while the facilities in D.C. were modernized. The Triskelion had been all but abandoned in the 90s, owing to the Helicarrier's construction.

Kara had unwittingly interrupted a meeting between the Director and Doctor Strange, which hadn't exactly helped her chances of convincing Fury. The sorcerer was in civilian attire, a nice three-piece suit that somehow managed to fit him _worse_ than his odd-but-somehow-perfect designer wizard robes.

" _Yes_ , Danvers, _seriously_." -he said, his tone brokering no argument. "We've got a legal _shit-storm_ brewing with OsCorp International, protests in the streets, and some kind of magical barrier between us and the land of _make-believe_ in the verge of failing. The _last_ thing I need is you and your _super-friends_ going out and causing me another headache."

" _Technically_ , owing to Hecate's... _explosive_ departure, the Mist has already failed." -Strange supplied, unhelpfully. "It will just take some time for that to translate to mortals seeing gods and monsters for what they are."

Fury gestured at Strange, as if to say _well, there you go_. Kara huffed. "Then we _have_ to go out there. It's only a matter of time before minotaurs go bull-rushing cars in the streets."

"There's only the _one_ Minotaur." -Strange clarified. "And I have it on good authority that he will not be bothering anyone anytime soon. Even if he were, though, you'd have no way of reliably defeating magical creatures."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, just like you'd kill a vampire with a wooden stake, only certain weapons and materials will actually slay monsters. I'm afraid you cannot punch your way through this one, Supergirl."

Fury nodded. "Simply put, without Thor, the Avengers don't have a reliable way to put the bastards down."

Kara crossed her arms. Without a way to contact the norse god, there wasn't much of an argument to be had. " _Fine_. Say I believe you. What are you doing about it, then? How will you protect people?"

"Director Fury is trying to convince me to form and host a team of warriors with magical abilities to fend off these arcane threats." -Strange said, amused. "He isn't doing a very good job so far."

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Director scowled at the magic-wielder. "In _any_ case, you and your teammates simply _can't leave_."

Kara sighed. The tone in his voice was familiar. "Yeah, alright, spit it out. What's your angle, Director? What are you gonna ask of me to lift this ban?"

"What makes you think there is one?"

"The fact that you _know_ there's nothing you can do to _actually_ stop us." -Kara noted. "If I recall correctly, the _last_ time you tried to keep me from leaving, I ended up depressurizing part of the Helicarrier via a me-shaped hole in the hull."

Fury sat back in his - Tony's - chair. Strange rolled his eyes, his refusal to cooperate with the man being proven before his eyes. The Director considered the idea for a moment, then smirked. "That's...no longer true, is it?"

Kara frowned. "What are you saying?"

Fury stood, then motioned for her and Strange to follow. The two looked at each other, then did as was asked of them. The man in the trenchcoat led them to the elevator, and then down several stories to one of the floors dedicated to storage, sandwiched between the Avengers section, and the Stark Industries portion of the Tower. After a couple of corridors, the trio arrived at a set of sliding double doors, guarded by S.H.I.E.L.D. commandos, who let them through.

The room was small and cramped, owing to the large amount of people within - technicians, soldiers, and, oddly enough, Winn - all crowded around a metal table, upon which rested the disfigured remains of Doctor Doom.

Kara scowled. "What the _heck_ is this?"

The corpse was horrific to look at; the once lush, green robes had been almost completely burned away, revealing complex yet melted circuitry, carved runes, and thick, warped armor plating.

" _Relax_. You still haven't killed anyone." -Fury reassured her. "We found this thing buried in the rubble - functional, but having lost whatever _connection_ he had to Victor Von Doom."

"So it's what, a robot?" -Kara asked.

"An _android_ , technically." -Winn said, walking over. He looked like a kid in a candy store, completely oblivious to the sneering looks of the agency's techs around him. "Hey Kara! Long time, no see."

Kara waved, a bit uncertain. "What's going on here?"

"Well, I was hanging around these lower levels, looking for, like, _secrets_ , when I found some weird signals that _these_ guys…" -he said, gesturing at the techs, "...had somehow missed. So, I rushed over here and yelled at them to set up a Faraday cage. _Then_ , I noticed that the android's system was crashing, so I helped them salvage its memory unit and positronic brain."

Fury hunched over the android. "This…' _Doombot_ ', it's based on S.H.I.E.L.D. tech. Life Model Decoys, specifically. Howard Stark invented them in the 70s, to help protect VIPs from assassination."

"I always thought LMDs were a myth." -Winn whispered. "But the older Mr. Stark _did_ release the specs for positronic CPU tech in the late 80s. It never resulted in the AIs he hoped for, but I guess that was just the public story."

"So...the Doom I talked to was an astral projection, but then this thing came and attacked me?" -Kara surmised.

Strange nodded. "Yes, that seems to be the case."

Kara shook her head. "Well, did you get anything out of this thing, at least?"

Winn winced. "Not yet. It's _really freaking complex_."

"Latveria's chief exports are wheat, potatoes, and advanced robotics." -Fury noted. "I'm not surprised that this is a tough nut to crack. But I _am_ pissed off that Von Doom's tech has taken advantage of designs stolen from us."

"What's your point?" -Kara asked, frowning.

"That it's not the first time it's happened." -Fury said, walking up to a nearby container. He pulled the broken shards of the kryptonite sword, still covered in blood.

" _Ah_. Glad you brought _this_ crap up." -Kara said, annoyed. "What the _hell_ , Fury?"

Fury raised an eyebrow. "You _know_ why this was necessary."

"Oh, for the _love_ of…" -she said. " _Yes_ , ok? I'm really strong, and there _should_ be measures in place in case I ever go bad guy, but...a freakin' _sword_ , Fury? You don't make a sword intending to use it for anything short of causing, y'know, _death_."

"You're right." -Fury said. "I had this weapon designed with the idea of _neutralizing_ you in the event that you'd go rogue. Every threat analysis generated after we found you and tried to measure your abilities suggested that the only reasonable approach the agency could take with you was _termination_. My gut didn't agree with it, but it was hard to deny that you were, potentially, the _biggest_ threat to life on Earth, short of Russia going Soviet again."

Strange scoffed. "Oh, there are _several_ bigger threats than Ms. Danvers, here."

"And I expect you to either take care of them, or inform S.H.I.E.L.D. when you require assistance." -Fury said, his tone clipped, then turned back to Kara. "The point is, I decided to compromise. Make a weapon that _could_ be deadly in the right hands, instead of something that would absolutely _ensure_ your destruction."

"So what, I should be _thankful_ that you made something that only _might've_ killed me?"

Fury shrugged. "I'm not telling you how to feel." -he said, then offered the inert blade to her. "And I'm not telling you what to do with this."

Kara frowned. "What are you doing?"

"I shouldn't have had this made." -he said. "I should've trusted my gut, known that you'd prove the eggheads wrong. So I'm making amends - giving this to you, to decide what to do with it. You can throw this into the _sun_ , chuck it into the deepest, darkest trench you can find in the ocean... _or_ you can keep it around. Just in case."

The kryptonian grabbed the dark green shards, holding them in her hands and contemplating them for a few seconds. The mineral simply looked like a green-hued, dry blood encrusted sample of obsidian, but she would never be able to forget the lethal glow it'd given off when activated, protruding from her abdomen.

"So that's the catch." -she said. "This...choice you're offering, isn't it?"

He nodded. "I didn't expect the Avengers to stay together after the invasion - in fact, I was _counting_ on the team splitting up, to make the clean-up of the aftermath easier. But you came around, and got everyone to stick around. And it's a _good_ thing, don't get me wrong, but these outings, the way you've _all_ tackled these problems...it _needs_ to stop. You need to take some responsibility for your actions."

Kara hummed, then snapped a pebble-sized piece from the blade - thankfully free of her blood - and handed the rest to Strange, who gave her a curious look. "Destroy the rest." -she said. " _Please_."

Strange nodded, vanishing the kryptonite blade. Kara looked back at Fury. "Can you _absolutely_ guarantee that it won't be stolen again?"

Fury looked strangely proud. "No. But we can make it _damn_ hard for whoever wants it."

The sorcerer hummed. "I may be able to help." -he said, then asked for the small fragment. Kara handed it over, and Strange whispered a prayer-like enchantment, making the stone glow amber for a second. He gave it back, smiling. "There. Now, anyone that approaches this stone with ill intent will be unable to see or touch it."

Kara sighed, thankful but emotionally exhausted. "I guess that'll have to do."

"Take it to the Fridge." -Fury suggested. "Grab a Quinjet with your girlfriend and stick it in the deepest vault available. It's a shit excuse for a date, but it's better than nothing."

The blonde shook her head. "Well _that's_ not creepy at all. I know you're a spy, but _please_ don't listen in on our conversations, geez."

"I didn't. Miss Luthor was just very excited about the prospect." -he said, amused. "Go, and we'll talk about _outside activities_ when you get back."

* * *

 **This chapter has a sort of companion piece in a one-shot I'll publish afterwards called A Cold Day in Erebus, in that the team Fury is trying to convince Strange to create is the Defenders, in turn referencing an older story of mine, Beating the System. BtS is, sadly, quite obsolete, and in _desperate_ need of rewriting to make it work with this story, but most of the concepts - a team of young, magical (or magical adjacent) teens battling the evils that mortal heroes like the Avengers can't deal with. I'll definitely expand on that later, but I'm actively making an effort to simplify this story a bit, after the slog that, admittedly, some of the latest chapters have felt like.**

 **Sorry about that.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! You can find me on Twitter and Ko-fi (should you, for some reason, wish to throw hella cash at me) as Darthkvzn, and on Tumblr as darthkvznblogs. Of course, if you have any questions regarding the story or, really, anything, shoot me a PM or write a review! Until next time!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Surprisingly long chapter, especially considering the main character from the story is completely absent throughout. This is a catching up kind of chapter, in which we touch back with some of the extended cast while Kara and Lena reach the Fridge. Here's hoping you enjoy!**

* * *

"Peter? Your ' _work phone_ ' just got a text!" -Aunt May said, from the kitchen.

He looked up from the spare web-shooter he was fiddling with, removing the cracked-yet-functional welding goggles he'd been wearing. "Who's it from?"

"I don't know, my hands are wet! Come check for yourself."

Peter set down his well-worn tools and jogged out of his room, momentarily backtracking to turn off the light in his room - the electric bill last month had been _pretty_ dang brutal, after all.

May was washing the dishes, and glanced back at him. "Hey, by the way, are you _absolutely_ sure I should've washed that fancy new suit of yours? It has all sorts of _fun electronics_ in there, y'know? And I _don't_ want a repeat of the Motorola RAZR Incident of 2011." -she said, chagrined.

Peter nodded brightly. "Yup, it's fine. Well, at least Karen said I could."

"Good, it was starting to smell like sweaty teenage boy." -his aunt chuckled, making Peter blush in embarrassment. "I still can't believe you named the top secret, highly advanced computer program in your suit ' _Karen_ '."

"I dunno, she seems to like it." -he said, shrugging. He then picked up the phone and saw who the message had come from. "Oh, it's from Kara."

May shook her head in disbelief. "Oof, and there's _another_ shocker...sweet, mild-mannered Kara Danvers being the 'Girl of Steel'? I wouldn't have guessed that in a _million years_! Did you see that footage of her lifting that steel beam for those workers like it weighed nothing at all? Jameson must've had an aneurysm."

"She's _so cool_." -Peter agreed, opening the message.

 _ **Leaving NY for a bit, taking the gf with me. Hold down the fort, will you? The Avengers are kinda...**_ **grounded** _**right now.**_

 _ **Keep me posted.**_

 _ **Love, Kara**_ **.**

"Oh dear." -Aunt May said, peering over his shoulder. "I guess you really _are_ in the big leagues now, kiddo."

Peter noticed the nervous edge to her voice. "Yeah...I guess I should go out for patrol early tonight. Maybe swing by Hell's Kitchen, ask Matt to join me." -he suggested, reassuringly.

May hummed. "Oof. I dunno about that one, Peter." -she said, pursing her lips. "Just...be _careful_ , alright? Mr. Murdock tends to get into a _lot_ of trouble. The _grown-up_ kind."

" _Hey_ , I'm _kind_ of a grown-up!" -he said, mock-protesting.

"You _just_ ordered a Happy Meal when we went to McDonald's with Ned last weekend." -she noted, sarcastic.

"I couldn't _not_ get the Captain Rex figurine, and you _know_ that."

She fondly rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Between you and Ben, I've learned not to stand between a Parker and their Star Wars memorabilia."

Peter gave her a wistful smile. The name hung heavy in the room, but it carried a somewhat more positive vibe than it had earlier in the year. "I'll be careful, Aunt May." -Peter promised, after a few moments. "I'll ask Karen to keep you updated, and I'll _probably_ be talking to Gwen all the time, anyway."

May nodded. "Try not to keep me up _too_ late, alright? I'd like to look less _zombie-ish_ tomorrow - pretty sure the folks at the shelter are starting to worry I'll bite."

"Yeah, uh...no promises there." -he said, then narrowed his eyes and put on his best 'loose cannon detective' voice - which was still not _great_ \- as he left to find his suit. " _Crime in this city never sleeps_ …"

"Alright, no need to go all _noir_ on me." -she said, shaking her head. "Give my best to Gwen, alright? And make sure to remember to invite her for dinner this weekend!"

Peter shook his head a little, grabbing his phone and jogging towards the drying rack in the room next door, where his suit hung. "I don't know, May. Can we even _compete_ with branzino?"

"I mean, point." -she said. "I don't even know how to _spell_ that."

He chuckled a little, grabbing the suit. It was still a _bit_ wet, causing him to cringe a little. "That makes two of us." -he said, stripping down and slipping into his costume. The fabric was baggy around him, but once he tapped the spider emblem in the middle of his chest, it tightened up into a perfect fit.

Peter looked up, searching for his mask, only to find May looking at him, his mask crumpled in her hands, her ever cheerful expression replaced with a mixture of pride, fear, and sadness. "Oh, Pete…" -she mumbled.

He pursed his lips, uncertain of what to say or do. Aunt May shook herself out of her short trance, smiling again. She handed him the mask, which he cautiously slipped on, opening and closing his eyes for the lenses to calibrate. Karen did not greet him, perhaps sensing it might've been inappropriate.

"How do I look?" -he asked, nervous. May hadn't actually _seen_ him yet in the new suit - when she'd first caught him, shortly after Ben's death, he'd been wearing his original, homemade suit.

"Damp." -she joked, at which they both laughed a little. "No, no. You look like a hero."

She hugged him, warm and familiar. " _My_ hero."

* * *

Bruce could barely bring himself to believe it.

Only a couple months ago, he'd been right in the middle of one of the most densely populated regions in the world, looking over his shoulder every other minute, trying to do _some_ good to make up - even a _little_ \- for all the destruction his alter ego had left in his wake.

 _Now_? Now he was just sitting back in his own mind, watching through the Hulk's eyes in fascination as the Jade Giant, the cause of so many of his worst nightmares, goofily _showed off_ for Doctor Granger in the Tower's state-of-the-art training room - safe in the knowledge that, even though the Avengers were a _little_ on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s bad side, he was part of a team of extraordinary people that knew and accepted him for who he was.

"Your biceps are simply _daft_." -she said, giggling like a middle-schooler. "I would _not_ be surprised if they proved twice as thick across as I am."

Hulk grinned, also very child-like. " **Hulk use them to smash good!** "

She smirked. "I've seen the vids, yeah." -she said. "Leaping about the city like a chocolate frog trying to escape a Weasley."

He cocked his head, confused. " **Weez-lee?** "

She shrugged. "Never-you-mind. Doubt you'll be meeting the clan anytime soon. A shame though; I'm sure my little girl would have a blast playing with you. Treat you as a living jungle gym, perhaps."

" **Hulk no jungle gym...Hulk is Avenger!** " -he proudly declared. Bruce, meanwhile, was surprised by the revelation that the young witch was a mother.

Hermione smiled. "So I hear, big guy."

Hulk sensed the burning curiosity in Bruce's mind, and relaxed, allowing his humanity to return. Bruce was a little disoriented, and confused that the Hulk would willingly release the transformation so easily, but decided to take the gift and - mentally - shut up about it.

Bruce groaned as the last of his engorged muscles returned to its normal state, and the emerald fully left his skin. "Well...that's new." -he said, panting.

"Welcome back." -she said, curious. "I assume it's not like the Hulk to leave so suddenly?"

"No, it...usually takes a lot more... _coaxing_." -he said, then reached for his pants and shirt, self-conscious to be clad only in his stretchy pants.

"Perhaps the mention of my Rosie terrified him a bit." -she joked, handing him his shoes. "She's quite the terror, for a toddler."

Bruce smirked. "How old is she?"

"Rose's just about five." -she said. "I'm hoping we can be done with this _Doom nonsense_ in time for me to pop back over to the UK for her birthday."

"Yeah...here's hoping." -he said. "I thought we'd get some peace and quiet after the, uh, Chitauri, but...I guess that was a little _too_ optimistic."

Hermione sighed. "Yeah, I know the feeling." -she said. "S'what the last ten years have felt like, honestly."

Bruce nodded, partly because she'd told him about the Dark Wizard Voldemort and the secret war she and her friends had waged against him, and partly because of his _own_ experience of life on the run.

"It kind of... _blurs_ together." -he agreed. "But...it gets better. At least, I _think_ it's getting better."

"It does." -she said, wistful. "For all of my troubles with Ronald, my disillusion with the Ministry...living to see my friends rebuild and my daughter grow up in a _relatively_ peaceful world has been worth it, hundred percent."

Bruce smiled. "She's lucky to have you."

"It's _really_ the other way around." -she said. "But...thank you."

The scientist nodded, and finished up buttoning up his shirt. They both walked out of the room and towards the elevator, headed towards the living area. "So...what do you think about...y'know, all of this." -he said, gesturing around them.

"What, the Tower?" -she asked. "It's rather impressive! A _spectacularly_ bad idea, but...an achievement, to be sure, in such a short time."

"How so?" -he asked, though he had a pretty good idea of what her answer would be.

Hermione crossed her arms. "Isn't it obvious? This massive _monument_ , in the middle of Manhattan? Populated by these extremely powerful people who've no doubt made _many_ enemies, and will likely amass some more before it's all said and done?"

Bruce hummed. "Yeah, that's...definitely a problem. I think Tony wants to move us out of the city eventually, though I'm not sure how well that will go over with Kara."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, she's...she wants to help. Like, with crime, in the city?" -he said, as the doors opened up to the wide, open living area, three stories tall, dominated by the lab and Tony's workshop in its midst. "It's a great sentiment, but...well, don't tell her I said this, but the logistics just don't work out."

She nodded. "I can see why. You lot are _powerful_ ; can't imagine the streets of New York are meant to handle superheroes of your level picking on your average mugger."

"On _that_ we _agree_." -said an older man, standing in front of them. Alarm bells started going off inside Bruce's head, even before he laid eyes on the person he knew had been waiting for them.

Lieutenant General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross awaited them, staring at him with contempt. He wore his full military regalia, the better to intimidate with. Hulk had started roaring already, behind his eyes, and he felt a bit of fiery green seeping into his veins, which he tried his best to push back.

"W-w-what are you doing here?" -Bruce asked, trying his best not to cower before the closest thing he had to a nemesis.

"Addressing some... _concerns_ , on behalf of the United States military." -he said, his tone cold.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Which would be…?"

Ross momentarily evaluated her. "I don't believe we've met, ma'am. What is your business in this so very... _exclusive_ part of Stark Tower?"

"Perhaps I'm an Avenger myself." -she said, crossing her arms. "I'm Doctor Hermione Granger, and my business is my own, _sir_."

"Antagonistic, huh?" -he said, sparing a dishonest smirk. "Very well. I can deal with that. I'm here because the team you may or _may not_ be a part of, and their actions, has raised some alarm among the ranking officials in the Armed Forces, myself included."

He turned back to Banner. "The world rightly celebrates your taking on and defeating the extraterrestrial invasion. I can't argue with the results, as much as I would like to - though the damage to the city was _extensive_ , the loss of life was minimal. Against my better judgement, I... _commend_ you for this."

"Uh... _thanks…_ " -Bruce said.

"And yet, instead of retreating and allowing the _proper_ authorities to organize and perform the clean-up operations, Stark has not only interfered with a _number_ of established protocols, he's let _you_ loose in the streets of New York." -he said, distaste apparent in his tone. "The alien creature that goes by ' _Supergirl_ ', and, of course, the _mutant aberration_ you call the _Hulk_."

Keeping back the Hulk was taking almost all of his willpower, but still, he managed to respond. "I'm not here to cause any trouble, General." -he said, softly. "But I'm also not planning to leave, if that's what you're insinuating. Neither is _Kara_ , for that matter."

"I thought you might say that." -Ross said. "Out of some... _misguided_ sense of control you may have over the _monster_ inside you. I've seen the footage of you, _willingly_ becoming that _beast_."

"And yet, we _both_ know your so-called control is _far_ from perfect. After all, are you _not_ the reason that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s _precious_ Helicarrier is in dry dock?"

Hermione scoffed, while guilt ate away at Bruce, unable to deny the accusation. Hawkeye _may_ have damaged one of the engines, but Hulk had torn much of the massive ship's insides to _shreds_ in his mindless fight against Thor.

"Well, you're a bloody hypocrite, aren't you?" -Hermione asked, rhetorically. "I'm surprised you didn't bring this man up before, Bruce. So much bad blood between you."

Ross frowned at her. "I beg your pardon?"

" _Legilimens_ , General. I've been rooting through your mind a bit, trying to figure out what your damage is, attacking Bruce for no reason." -she explained.

The General was confused, but let her speak. "I'm a _witch_ , you daft old man. I can _do_ that sort of thing. And _sure_ , the Hulk is a powerful entity that _could_ cause massive amounts of destruction under the right circumstances." -she said, at which Bruce winced.

"But that's not even what _you_ care about. It's _barely_ a concern, isn't it? You just want a bloody _excuse_ to capture him, create _more_ of him, versions of the Hulk you can control and exploit at your leisure, and that of your superiors. Maybe do the same to Kara, or Thor, should he ever visit again. There's nothing _noble_ about your purpose here."

The old man scowled. "I can see I was right to be concerned. Clearly, the Avengers' success against the Chitauri was the product of _luck_. No strategy, no responsibility, no... _accountability_." -he concluded, brushing off her accusations. "It's only a matter of time before catastrophe occurs. I'll need to inform my superiors of this, of course. We'll need to monitor this cadre of... _oddities_. Who knows? Perhaps we'll need to _intervene_ someday soon."

He walked past them, intentionally bumping Bruce aside. He never saw Hermione's wand flash towards him.

" _ **Obliviate**_!" -she shouted, the tip of her wand lighting up green.

Ross stopped, already inside the elevator, then turned. Bruce noticed that his eyes were unfocused, almost clouded, before the doors closed and he'd left.

"What did you do?" -Bruce asked.

"Let's just say, he won't be making that 'report' anytime soon." -Hermione said, pocketing her wand. "As far as he's concerned, this little meeting never took place."

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "I...why'd you do it? Aren't you breaking a bunch of magic rules?"

"I am. _Really_ pushing my 'war hero' privileges, honestly." -she admitted. "But the man _was_ being a right prick to you."

He smiled at her. "He always is. Thank you."

She winked at him, before turning a bit somber. "Don't take his words to heart, Bruce. The man _hates_ you, more than _anything_."

"Trust me, I know. He's not exactly wrong, though." -he said. "Hulk and I...we're in a good place, right now, but he's not above going berserk if he thinks my life is in danger. The damage to the Helicarrier he mentioned was almost _entirely_ caused by Hulk's 'fight' response to a surprise attack."

"I understand, but...this is not your fault, Bruce. Nor is it Hulk's; if an _Avada Kedavra_ is coming my way, you can _bet_ I'll be reduced to instinct and reflexes. It's a natural reaction, if enhanced to the _nth_ degree by your power. All you can do is try your best when you _do_ have control over the situation."

"That's not good enough." -Bruce said, sad.

"Maybe not. But it's all any of us can do." -she said, then smiled. "And that's where _we_ come in. Your friends, teammates. We'll be here whenever you don't think you're good enough on your own."

"I...really appreciate that."

"You _better_. I don't break international magical law and promise my undying support for just about _anyone_ , you know."

He laughed a little. "So...friends, huh?"

* * *

Sue was about to die.

She knew what it felt like, of course. Being in so much danger that you could feel the end coming, your body preparing to shut down. It had felt that way, up in space, when the Rainbow Bridge had seared her flesh, bombarding her with the cosmic radiation that had so fundamentally changed her.

Now, holding up an invisible bubble around herself and the prone, unconscious forms of Johnny, Ben, and - god bless, they'd finally found him - Reed, her nose bleeding and her head killing her as the strain of fending off the combined hail of energy blasts from two dozen or so Centipede mercs, she could feel death approaching again.

All because she'd tried to go it alone.

She moaned in pain as the dome contracted, her energy waning. None of this would've happened if she hadn't been so _adamant_ about rescuing Reed without the Avengers' help.

What had she been _thinking_?

They weren't fighters! None of them were trained! Ben, the only one who might've known how to at _least_ throw a punch, was so averse to killing that he _barely_ used his newfound strength! Johnny didn't even know how to turn while flying!

And herself? What was she supposed to do with shielding powers and invisibility? _Against an entire base_?

So there they were, at Death's door. Stuck in the middle of some optically concealed, secret base in the heart of Death Valley, surrounded on all sides by men with weapons no doubt adapted from Chitauri technology. Utterly - royally - _fucked_.

At least she'd gotten to see Reed again.

She wasn't about to go out without taking some of them with her, though. Maybe give her boys a chance to wake up and survive? Sue _tried_ to identify some gap in the firing patterns, but it was a futile effort; the weapons didn't seem to need to reload, nor did they appear to overheat. Maybe she could expand her dome outwards, knock them back?

Would the effort of doing that just...kill her outright? It certainly felt like it.

Her adrenaline fuelled reverie was interrupted by the muted sound of a jet engine, fast approaching from the west. She narrowed her eyes, looking at a bright light, falling from the sky like a comet.

"What the…?" -she murmured, while some of the mercs began to scream.

Sure enough, a series of tiny lights sprouted from the larger one, then dropped all around her. Too late, she realized they were micro-missiles. Her shields briefly held, and then gave out, the feedback knocking her unconscious.

Tony Stark landed like an angry demigod on scorched earth with a resounding _thud_ , showering the nearest, charred corpse with dust and gravel. He rose, glanced at the unconscious - but thankfully living - teenagers, and then back at the survivors of his improvised airstrike.

"Holy _shit_ , it's Iron Man!" -one of the mercs shouted.

He coldly smirked to himself; he was used by now to hearing that phrase, but the context couldn't be more different. Instead of a fan freaking out that he'd zoomed by, it was a hardened criminal who knew he was about to die.

Not wanting to disappoint the man, he primed a repulsor blast, and burned a hole through his torso. The other survivors tried to shoot him, but they were swiftly cut down by his wrist lasers, blasted with searing repulsors, or pummeled by the fists that had given Thor himself pause.

The skirmish was over in moments. As soon as the last merc flatlined, he knelt down to check the teens' vitals. Relief flooded him when they all checked out - bruised, dehydrated, and malnourished, but thankfully out of immediate danger.

"I'd say that's a pretty good field test." -he said, rising. "How's 42 holding up, J?"

" _Well enough, Sir. Though something tells me you did not put this armor through its paces for technical reasons._ "

He knew were _this_ was going. "Yeah-huh. Let's skip the psych eval, buddy." -he said, rolling his eyes. JARVIS usually did not approve of his rather _final_ methods. And it's not like Tony _enjoyed_ killing, but he couldn't really deny that he was not a man for half measures. When he dealt with a problem, he expected the fix to be _permanent_.

His AI paused, as if to sigh. " _As you wish. Shall I fetch Miss Potts_?"

"Please do."

Pepper piped up after a moment. " _Tony? Did you find them?_ "

"Yep. In _way_ over their heads, as expected."

" _Oh God...are they okay_?"

"They'll be fine, don't worry about it. Can't say the same for their would-be killers, though."

Pepper didn't have much taste for his brand of violence, either, but she at least understood why he could so easily take a life. JARVIS hadn't heard the full, unplugged version of his bloody escape from the Ten Rings; Pepper had.

The love of his life sighed. " _Well...I'm glad you got there in time._ "

He nodded to himself, then squinted as he found an active camera. "Me too. Be home soon, honey."

The call cut off as Iron Man glared straight at the camera, wirelessly tracing the feed to wherever in the Web it was going.

" _Threaten kids again,_ " -he said, out loud, " _...and you can look forward to joining your barbequed pals here._ "

The trace was successful, and he smirked beneath the faceplate. " _Ah, who am I kidding. You're next either way_."

* * *

 **Not sure if you guys noticed, but I've recently been neck-deep into Spider-Man for the PS4, so Aunt May is kind of a mix of her MCU and in-game incarnations. I played around with the idea of her not knowing Spidey's secret identity, but, actually, Far From Home's trailer convinced me that it would be more fun for her to be in the know from the start. Besides, Peter is notoriously bad about his secret identity in this story - and arguably, in the MCU overall - so that's that. I kind of regret having Spider-Man's origin story just a couple months before this fic starts, because Ben's death is way too fresh as a result, but oh well.**

 **Also, I wanted to make it clear that yes, the Avengers *do* kill. But, as Wolverine would put it when accused as such by Sabretooth, there's a big difference between killers and murderers. Taking a life is no simple matter, but the Avengers are so often in a situation where using non-lethal force is not an option, that I can't justify sanitizing their image.**

 **In any case, hope you enjoyed! You can find me as Darthkvzn on social media and Ko-fi, and as darthkvznblogs on Tumblr. Shoot me a PM or review if you have anything you'd like to talk about! Until next time!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Hey guys! It's uh...been a while. Between a hellish writer's block, my second to last semester of college, and the introduction of a new story to this MCUniverse (go read Changing of the Guard! It's a fun Ben 10 crossover and may or may not mesh with this story in the near future), I just couldn't finish this chapter. I'm sorry it took this long, but also glad I could finally do it.**

 **Think of this one as a re-centering of sorts. For Kara, and for me.**

* * *

"It's... _weird_ , not feeling the cold." -Lena noted, leaning back at the pilot's seat of the Quinjet headed towards the Fridge. JARVIS was the _actual_ pilot, but they'd found the cargo hold a little drab to spend the two hours of supersonic flight in.

Kara turned away from the vast expanse of ice and snow below them. They'd entered the Arctic circle some twenty minutes prior. "Another side effect of the serum?"

Lena hummed in confirmation. "My metabolism is too efficient now, apparently." -she said. Indeed, she was only wearing a thin, olive-colored jacket, whereas Kara had decided on a polar jacket and a Stark Industries-branded beanie she'd stolen from the Tower, on top of the Supergirl suit. She idly thought it couldn't hurt to suggest to Tony that the Avengers could use some cold weather gear. Even if only two of them were somewhat regular, non-power armored humans - and she wasn't even sure about Romanoff - and thus needed them, they'd probably look pretty _cool_ in a matching set.

"You get used to it." -she said. "I didn't _always_ scarf down food like I'm training for an eating competition."

"Don't worry, I'm very impressed." -Lena teased.

"You should see me do chicken wings, sometime." -Kara said. "I've perfected the one bite method."

Lena chuckled. "Let me guess: you eat them whole, bones and all?"

Kara blushed. "I plead the Fifth."

The intercom came to life then. " _S.H.I.E.L.D vessel Q-34, you are entering restricted airspace. State the purpose of your visit._ "

"We're dropping off an alien rock." -Kara stated bluntly. "Director Fury sends his regards...and his uh, clearance codes."

It took a moment - during which Kara wondered if her _Game of Thrones_ joke would get them shot out of the sky - but the speaker crackled again soon enough. " _Codes confirmed. Vectors sent, do_ not _deviate from the assigned course_. _Welcome to the Fridge, ma'am._ "

" _Course plotted_." -JARVIS chirped. " _I'd advise you to brace for descent, but I imagine that will be unnecessary._ "

Kara and Lena shared a look, and strapped in anyway. They were in the midst of a fairly heavy blizzard, and even though the Quinjet was much more stable and robust than any normal jet or helicopter, they could still feel the aircraft battling against the wild, frigid winds.

The kryptonian tried to make out the facility, but there was nothing to be seen; instead, a set of massive, white metal panels opened under a layer of snow, guidance lights flashing to guide them in. JARVIS easily maneuvered the Quinjet into the tunnel, which descended about fifty feet into a small hangar. There were two other Quinjets inside, and a full squadron of S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers marching up to greet them.

"They don't seem too happy to see us." -Lena noted.

Kara hummed. "They rarely are."

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Been here before?"

"Nope. Just generalizing." -Kara said. "Fury wouldn't allow me access to this place before. Kinda wondering why he did now."

"Maybe you're getting in his good graces."

Kara snorted. "That man only has room in his heart for his eyepatch and his cat." -she said. _And Coulson_ , she thought, _but he's gone._

They rose, and walked towards the opening ramp. The soldiers greeted them at gunpoint, which made Lena tense up, but Kara was used to it. Standard welcoming party, fingers off their triggers, only meant to pressure possible infiltrators into stressing out, making mistakes. She confidently walked up to the team leader and held up the small box with the kryptonite chunk.

"Where do we put this?"- she asked, nonchalant.

The ranking office narrowed his eyes. He was a stern-looking dark skinned man with graying hair and a long, diagonal scar across his left cheek. "Director Fury has granted you permission to enter and use Vault E-38. You will _not_ attempt to enter any other Vault. You will _not_ disturb the base's personnel. You _will_ follow proper protocol in adding to, and removing Vault-38's contents. Should you fail to comply with any of these rules, or otherwise behave in a manner unbecoming of the Director's trust, you and your partner will be treated as hostile elements, and swiftly neutralized."

Kara resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Those rifles didn't even look like they'd tickle. "Sure thing." -she said. "Lead the way."

It hit her, then. "Wait, _removing_? I'm taking something out of this place?"

"That's up to you, ma'am." -the nameless man said. "I _strongly_ advise against it - this place safeguards the world from the worst and most dangerous of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s discoveries, after all - but if the Director allows it...we will comply."

None of the soldiers looked happy about it - and one of them even looked her in the eye with a sadly familiar, downright _hateful_ glare - but they all parted way to allow the two of them access to the elevator. Lena looked quizzically at her, and Kara offered a reassuring nod.

The man led the way, and flashed his ID badge at the wall beside the metal doors, which parted for them. The rest of the team stayed behind, forming a perimeter around the Quinjet. The elevator pinged, after which the man spoke. "Vault E-38."

" _Confirmed_." -a monotone female voice replied. Kara idly wondered if S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken a cue from Stark, considering the voiced automated security was new to her.

The elevator swiftly descended - five levels, which Kara guessed was what the 'E' stood for, and then smoothly switched to a horizontal track. It took about half a minute, even at what Kara could tell was considerable speed, but the doors eventually opened to an empty room, at the back of which stood an enormous, reinforced vault door with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo and the number '38', embedded into the concrete beside it.

The soldier stood just outside the elevator, only nodding at Kara to go. The couple walked up to the vault door, which promptly began to open - an arduous, minute-long procedure filled with metallic groans, massive gear sounds, and obnoxiously loud clanging.

Kara gasped as she took in the vault's contents. Suddenly, she was twelve again, running from a hail of blasterfire, urgently pulled by her terrified mother.

"Is...is that your pod?" -Lena wondered.

It was; just as she remembered it. Gray, carbon-scored kryptonian smartmetal and dull, cracked, off-white plastoid. Kara approached gently, almost reverently, Lena not far behind. She ran a hand over the roughly comet-shaped vessel, and felt her palm tingle - no doubt _ever so slightly_ weakened by the traces of kryptonian atmosphere left impregnated upon its pock-marked hull.

She realized she was crying when she laughed, and it came out watery. "That _bastard_ , he really did it."

Lena raised an eyebrow. " _Which_ bastard? You've met a few, lately."

"Doom." -Kara said, then pointed at a blast mark near the engines. It'd left an odd, geometric pattern, markedly different from the rest of the damage - blackened burns and warped metal from her violent, in-atmosphere exit from the Phantom Zone, small, melted craters from plasma bolts, and huge, jagged scars from the rock fragments that would eventually become the kryptonite sword. "He changed the pod's intended course as I entered hypersleep. Sent me to a whole new universe and I was none the wiser."

Lena gently took her hand and held it. For all that Kara was now - this nigh-invincible alien protector she was incredibly lucky to love, and be loved by - the pod before them was a stark reminder of the terrified, young refugee she'd once been. Von Doom may have had his part in Kara's eventual rise to heroism, but, at the end of the day, he'd taken a scared little girl away from her own reality, away from the only family she had left, and into a world that was just as likely to accept or reject her. She'd gotten _lucky_ , getting found by S.H.I.E.L.D. What if she'd landed in Russia, or North Korea? What if Centipede, or whatever other _pretentiously_ named evil conglomerate had gotten to her first? Lena already loathed the man for nearly killing the woman she loved; this made her want to shove a plasma grenade down his goddamn windpipe.

"It's not _all_ bad." -Kara said, snapping her out of her murderous reverie. "If _he_ can travel between realities, then maybe we can learn how to do it, too." -she reasoned, then blushed. "Plus... _you're_ in this universe."

Lena shook her head, smiling. "Maybe I was in your original one too, you flirt."

Kara shrugged. "Yeah...but I'm dating _you_ , not her. And I wouldn't trade you for any other Lena."

"You're _killing_ me, Kara." -Lena gasped, hands around her neck in mock-asphyxiation. "I'm drowning in the sap."

The blonde laughed. "Maybe I should breathe some life into you, then."

Lena _wanted_ to groan, she really did, but her mouth was otherwise occupied.

* * *

The pair spent a good half hour in the Vault, in which Kara showed Lena what she remembered of how to operate the pod. It wasn't much, but Kara figured out how to boot up the pod's OS, and even brought up a few flickering, holographic images of her world, moments before its ultimate destruction.

Krypton shone again for but a moment, wounded but still living, burning cracks criss-crossing its extensive deserts and ragged mountain ranges, flash-melting through what remained of its polar ice caps, swallowing whole what she vaguely remembered to be entire cities. She pointed out the massive expanse of Argo City, brightly lit with the fires of a doomed war, and the shadow of Krypton's smaller sister, Daxam, just beyond the pod's rendering range.

It was oddly beautiful. This moment in time must've been taken mere seconds before the explosion - and released a sun god, if Doom were to be believed - and yet, Kara couldn't help but smile wistfully at the memory of her homeworld. She always thought it'd be painful, but...all she felt was a hollow melancholy.

"I feel like I should say something, but I don't know what." -Kara said. "Like, offer some words of remembrance, maybe. An epitaph to my homeworld."

"What's stopping you?" -Lena wondered.

"My memory." -Kara said. "I'm ashamed to admit it, but...I know more about Earth and humanity than I can remember about Krypton. Like...a _lot_ more."

Lena hummed. "I don't think there's any shame in that." -she said. "I hardly remember anything about growing up an orphan in Ireland. I don't remember my birth parents at _all_. All I've really got is memories of life in the Jameson household."

"You were a little girl when Jonah adopted you, though." -Kara said. "I lived twelve whole years on Krypton. What's _my_ excuse?"

Lena seemed unimpressed. "You mean _besides_ experiencing the kryptonian apocalypse first-hand? Kara, it's _ok_ not to remember everything."

"Lena, I'm the last kryptonian alive." -Kara gently reminded her. "If I don't remember, who will?"

"Your cousin, for one." -Lena said. "All the people who study galactic history back in your home dimension, too. And me, and whoever else you decide to tell about your world. Even if it's something as small as its name, as long as even _one_ person knows about Krypton and its people, you're not alone in bearing this burden."

Kara stared at the ghost of her homeworld for a few moments. "I guess that's true. And I don't think my parents would want me to get so hung up about this."

"That's well within your rights, too. Mourning doesn't have an expiration date."

"But it _should_ eventually lead to acceptance." -she noted.

"I think you're there." -Lena said. "Frankly, I think you were there the moment you jumped out of the Bugle. I think that marked the exact threshold of you truly considering Earth your home."

Kara smirked. "You think?"

"You punched a hole in my stepfather's office so you could help stop an alien invasion with _zero_ regard to your anonymity, or what would happen to you afterwards. I think I _know_ , Kara."

The kryptonian looked over the room. "You know what? I agree." -she said, then suddenly _lifted_ the pod overhead, to Lena's wonder. It wasn't something she'd soon get used to. "But I'd really, _really_ like to have my stuff back, anyway."

* * *

The soldiers nearly had several simultaneous aneurysms when they saw Kara carrying an _alien vessel_ over her shoulder, and into the Quinjet. Lena closely followed and winked at them, every speck of data in that room in a cardboard box under her arm.

All that was left inside Vault E-38 was a tiny black box, with the remains of a dead planet inside.

* * *

 **In housekeeping news: as I mentioned at the top, there's new entries in this massive universe I've concocted. If you'd like to find out more, check out Changing of the Guard and Close Encounters of the Gem Kind (which bring several fandoms into this 'verse, including but not limited to: Ben 10, Trollhunters and the Tales of Arcadia series in general, Voltron: Legendary Defender, and Steven Universe). Changing of the Guard also introduces S.W.O.R.D. and sort of fills in the gaps a bit for Kree involvement with Earth. You may have caught the reference to Captain Marvel in this one.**

 **I will also be porting this story over to my AO3 account in the coming weeks, to be updated simultaneously. I personally prefer reading fics on AO3, and there's a lot more freedom when it comes to categorizing over there, but don't worry, FF is still my primary workspace. If anything, you guys will likely get to see some improvements made to the earlier chapters, as I go over _each_ and _every single one_ during the transfer. **

**_Yay_.**

 **Until next time!**


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